ELECTIONS rnoM  GOETHE'S  POEMS 


J.  Henry  Senger 


SSoIfgang 


Ibeatb's  flDofcern  XanQuage  Series 


GOETHE'S  POEMS 


SELECTED   AND  EDITED 
WITH  INTRODUCTION  AND  NOTES 


CHARLES    HARRIS 

PROFESSOR  OF  GERMAN  IN  ADELBERT  COLLEGE  OF 
WESTERN  RESERVE  UNIVERSITY 


.      BOSTON,  U.  S.  A. 

D.  C.  HEATH   &   CO.,    PUBLISHERS 
1899 


IN  MEMORIAM 


COPYRIGHT,  1899 
BY  D.  C.  HEATH  &  Co. 


Printed  by  CARL  H.  HEINTZEMANN,  Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


PREFACE. 


IN  the  preparation  of  this  selection  of  the  poems  of 
Goethe,  arranged  in  chronological  order,  my  desire  has 
been  to  furnish  a  commentary  which  should  give  the 
necessary  explanations  of  words  and  phrases  and  also 
the  history  of  the  origin  of  each  poem,  so  far  as  this  is 
known.  Nothing  more  has  been  attempted.  No  excursion 
has  been  made  into  the  fields  of  aesthetics,  and  there  is 
no  discussion  of.  any  of  the  fascinating  problems  which 
arise  in  the  study  of  the  great  master;  but  even  within 
its  narrow  limits  the  book  must  assuredly  be  very  imper- 
fect. 

The  text  is  that  of  the  Weimar  edition.  There  are 
no  intentional  changes  in  the  wording.  In  the  matter 
of  spelling  and  of  the  use  of  capital  letters  the  Prussian 
rules  have  however  been  followed,  and  the  punctuation 
has  here  and  there  been  altered  slightly,  commonly  by 
the  more  frequent  employment  of  the  comma. 

CHARLES  HARRIS. 
CLEVELAND, 
September,  1899. 


926575 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION xi 

<5ebtd?te. 

1.  3n  bo«  Stammburf)  toon  grtebrtdj  2ftarimtUan  2ftoor8      .  1 

3.  2)er  SJttfantfyrob 2 

4.  ©liirf  unb  £raum      ........  3 

5.  Secret 3 

6.  3)er  5lbfrf)tcb 4 

Q  SBtflfommen  unb  ?(bfcf)teb 4 

8.  Sftit  einem  getnatten  33anb         ......  5 

9.  Sftailteb 6 

10.  ©tirbt  ber  gurf)«,  fo  gilt  ber  S3alg 8 

11.  S3Unbc  ^ul) 9 

12.  ^eibenrb^Iein      .........  9 

•14.  ®er  SBanbrer 11 

15.  $at  alle«  feiue  Beit 18 

16.  25ilettant  unb  trttifer 18 

17.  2)a§  S3eilrf)en     .........  19 

18.  S)er  tbnig  in  S^ute 20 

19.  ©etfte«=@ruB 21 

20.  2)tne  gu  ^obtenj 22 

21.  £a|3  regnen,  tnenn  e§  regnen  rt)tll 23 

22.  2tn  ©c^irager  Cronos .23 

23.  @enbj(^retben      .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .25 

24.  $rometf)eu§ 26 

25.  9?eue  £tebe  neueS  ^eben 28 

26.  BU  ben  ?eiben  be«  jungen  2Bertt)er« 29 

27.  Stuf  bent  @ee     .                               30 

28.  S5om  S3erge 30 

V 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

29.  33unbe§Ueb 31 

30.  SitiS  $arf 32 

31.  2(n  ein  gotbneg  §erj,  bog  er  am  §alfe  trug      ...  37 

32.  3ager8  abenblieb 37 

33.  an  SHU 38 

34.  2Banbrer8  9?ad)tUeb 38 

35.  SBaritm  gabft  bu  un8  bie  tiefen  23Ucfe      ....  39 

36.  SRajHofe  Siebe 41 

37.  (Sinfdjranfung .41 

38.  ©eefaljrt     ...........  42 

39.  £offmmg 44 

40.  Siebebebflrfni* 44 

41.  ^etger  ©cbanfcn 45 

42.  §arjreife  im  2Binter 45 

43.  an  ben  SDtonb 48 

44.  ©rabjdjrtft 50 

45.  3)er  ^ifc^er .        .50 

46.  ®ejang  bcr  ©eifter  iiber  ben  SBajfern        ....  51 

47.  (58  ttmr  ein  fauter  ©djfifer 52 

48.  2Banbrer8  9?ac^tlieb 53 

49.  Hn  ?iba 53 

50.  ©rtfonig 54 

51.  2)a8  ©ottlit^e 55 

52.  2)er  ©anger 57 

53.  £)er  ^arfenjpieler 59 

54.  S)erjelbe 60 

55.  3Imenau .        .        .60 

56.  3ueignung 67 

57.  2ftignon .71 

58.  2)iefelbe 72 

59.  2>ie)"elbe 72 

60.  2)em  acfermann 73 

61.  SSerjcfjiebene  (Smpfinbungen  an  eincm  ^Jlafte      ...  73 

62.  (Srfhr  S3ertn[t 74 

63.  ©eniatifdj  Sreiben 75 

64.  2ln  ben  C)erjog  $arf  augufl 75 

65.  2(mor  ale  ?anbfdjaft«maler        ....  .76 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

PAGE 

66.  SBedjfetlieb  sum  Stance 78 

67.  2ln  bie  (Sntfernte 79 

68.  SBefyerjigung      »......*..  80 

69.  (Srinnerung 80 

70.  $opf)tifrf)e§  £ieb 80 

71.  (Sptgramme.    SSenebig  1790 81 

72.  ^eni  Don  gebilbeten  9Jienjd)en,  am  (Snbe  be8  SfteidjeS,  meu 

fjitft  eucf) 84 

73.  £)ie  ©probe 84 

74.  3)ie  23efel)rte 85 

75.  5tn  bie  (grroatyte      .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .85 

76.  9^a^e  beg  ©ettebten 86 

77.  SWeereS  ©titte 87 

78.  @Iu(fU(f)e  gatjtt 87 

79.  2lle3?i8  unb  2)ora 88 

80.  Jenien 93 

81.  3)er  (S^inefc  in  5Rom 94 

82.  S)er  @^at?grabcr 94 

83.  2ln  ©fitter 96 

84.  3)er  3AuberIel)rHng 96 

85.  S)er  3unggefett  unb  ber  9J?u^tbarf) 100 

86.  @d)tt>eijeratye 102 

87.  S)ie  aJhifageten 102 

88.  Stu  bie  ©unftigen 104 

89.  ^riit)3eitiger  griitjling 104 

90.  ©djaferS  tlagelteb .106 

91.  2ij(i)Ueb 107 

92.  SRatur  unb  ^unft,  fie  fdjeinen  ftrf)  gu  ffiefjen    .        .        .  109 

93.  £od)$eitlieb 110 

94.  2)er  ^attenfcinger 112 

95.  S3ergfci)IoB 113 

96.  Vanitas !  vanitatum  vanitas!        .         .         .                  .         .  115 

97.  2ftepl)iftopf)e(e§  fpridjt 117 

98.  3Hac^tige«  Uberrafrf)en 118 

99.  S)te  Siebenbe  abermalS 118 

100.  3n  ba«  ©tammbuc^  bcr  3e^njal)rigen  SSert^a  Don  ?obcr  119 

101.  Ergo  bibamus!  .                  119 


VUl  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

102.  93Iumengritj3 .       .121 

103.  2ftailieb .121 

104.  S)ie  friftigen  Don  2Beimar 122 

105.  2)er  £otentanj 122 

106.  ©eiuofynt,  gett)an 124 

107.  3>ie  ftanbelnbe  ®lo<fe     .        .        .        .        .        .        .126 

108.  ©efnnben 127 

109.  ©leicf)  unb  gletrf) 128 

110.  @pat  cr!Ungtf  tt)a§  friilj  erHang 128 

111.  Staffer 128 

112.  ®ott,  (Semiit  unb  SSelt 128 

113.  (Spricfjroortlid) 129 

114.  (Spigrammatifd) 132 

115.  ftunf  anberc 134 

116.  £egtre 134 

117.  (gintabung 136 

118.  3ft'«  mbglt^,  ba^  id),  SHebrfjen,  bid)  fofe       .        .        .137 

119.  3)ie  SBcIt  bureaus  ift  lieblit^  angufd)queit     .        .        .137 

120.  $ omm,  Sieb^en,  fomm !  itmtwnbe  nttr  bie  2Jlu^c !       .      137 

121.  (Sin  tfaifer  ^attc  jttjci  ^ajftcre 138 

122.  ©eftanbniS •      ....      138 

123.  2Btnf 139 

124.  2Bcr  tt)irb  Don  bcr  28elt  toerlangen        ....      139 

125.  S)ic  ^erle,  bie  bcr  2ftufd)el  entrann       ....      140 

126.  patent 140 

127.  Sin  rotten  33uj(^etjtt)cigen 141 

128.  So  man  mir  ©ut8  ergetgt,  uberatt       .        .        .        .141 

129.  3ene  garfttgc  SScttct 142 

130.  ©tymbolum 143 

131.  3)en  6.  3uni  1816 144 

132.  $n  Stteyanber  Don  §umbotbt 145 

133.  SBattabe 145 

134.  Urn  2JHtternad)t .      148 

135.  Sin  groulein  don  ©fitter       ......      149 

136.  (Sinlafj 150 

137.  £uft  u"°  ^uat 151 

138.  SScnn  ic^  auf  bcm  2Jtarfte  ge^'      ...  .152 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGE 

139.  5)u  gingft  ttoruber?  2Bie?  id)  falj  bid)  ntdjt.       .       .  152 

140.  (Slegte 153 

141.  @d)Iofe  93eft)ebere  in  ber  ^benbfonne 158 

142.  33Ub  be8  efterlid)en  £aufe§  311  ftranffurt  am  main       .  158 

143.  3m  ernften  33einf)au8  roar'8,  roo  id)  befdjaiite       .       .  159 

144.  ©ebidjte  ftnb  gemalte  ^enftcrfdjeiben  !    ....  160 

145.  £al)me  Jenicn 160 

146.  £>er  futfucf  it)te  bic  9?a<f)tigatt 168 

147.  S)ie  ftifle  ^reube  n?oUt  i^r  ftoren? 168 

148.  ©em  aufgeljeuben  3Sottmonbe  .        .        .        .   "    .        .169 

149.  ©ornbitrg,  (September  1828 169 

150.  @etbft  erfinben  ift  fd)5n ;  boc^  gliirflid)  tion  anbern  ©e= 
fitnbneS    .                       170 

151.  2ln  bie  funfeeljn  ^reunbe  in  (Snglanb     ....  170 

152.  33iirgerpfUd)t 170 

NOTES 171 

BIOGRAPHICAL   LIST  OF  PERSONS   MENTIONED  IN  THE  POEMS 

OR  NOTES 276 

INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  .  283 


INTRODUCTION. 


GOETHE'S  minor  poems,  the  field  in  which  he  is  greatest,  may 
be  best  appreciated  and  enjoyed,  when  the  circumstances  which 
called  them  forth  are  known.  They  are  so  much  a  part  of  his 
life  that  they  should  be  studied  in  connection  with  it.  His 
lyrics,  ballads,  and  other  short  productions  in  verse,  in  which 
sense  the  word  poems  is  used  here,  are  bound  up  with  his  own 
emotions  and  experiences  in  a  very  unusual  degree. 

This  is  a  fact  of  which  he  was  fully  conscious  and  which  he. 
mentioned  more  than  once  in  his  writings  (see,  for  example, 
Selections  88,  no,  145,  22).  From  the  days  at  Leipzig  on,  he 
felt  impelled  to  turn  everything  that  rejoiced,  tormented,  or 
occupied  him  into  verse  in  order  to  have  done  with  it.  Thus, 
all  that  he  wrote  was,  as  he  expressed  it,  fragments  of  one  great 
confession  (28erfe,  XXVII,  no). 

The  action  and  reaction  of  poems  and  life  have  been  so  fully 
realized  by  students  of  Goethe  that  they  have  dated  and  inter- 
preted many  a  poem  correctly,  as  later  investigations  proved, 
by  finding  some  happening  in  his  life  or  some  passage  in  a  letter, 
which  reflected  the  same  situation  or  expressed  the  same  senti- 
ments. This  process  of  comparing  him  with  himself  and  of 
interpreting  him  by  himself  has  yielded  the  best  results  in  the 
past  and  has  by  no  means  lost  its  value. 

This  does  not  mean  that  constant  reference  to  Goethe's 
biography  is  necessary  to  make  the  poems  intelligible.  With- 
out such  aid  they  trained  and  uplifted  his  contemporaries  and 
may  serve  the  same  office  for  the  world  to-day.  Nevertheless  a 

xi 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

knowledge  of  the  outlines,  at  least,  of  his  life  and  of  the  partic- 
ular circumstances  of  the  origin  of  the  individual  poems  is  very 
desirable.  While  a  commentary  may  do  much  to  meet  the 
second  of  these  wants,  it  can  help  little  to  give  that  broader 
outlook  which  is  advisable,  for  the  more  intimate  the  reader's 
knowledge  of  the  life  is,  the  keener  will  be  his  enjoyment  and 
the  juster  his  appreciation  of  the  poems. 

It  is  evident  that  the  chronological  order  has  advantages, 
which  far  outweigh  its  disadvantages,  in  books  like  this,  which 
are  intended  merely  to  be  introductions  and  to  prepare  the  way 
for  the  better  comprehension  and  appreciation  of  Goethe's  great 
achievements.  We  may  say  of  many  of  the  poems  that  they 
came  into  being  of  necessity  just  when  they  did,  that  an  earlier 
or  later  origin  would  have  been  impossible.  To  study  them, 
therefore,  in  their  relations  to  what  preceded  and  what  followed 
them  is  the  way  to  comprehend  them  best. 

In  fact,  as  the  study  of  Goethe  spreads  and  he  becomes  more 
and  more  the  great  lyric  poet,  not  merely  of  Germany,  but  of 
the  world,  the  desirability  of  the  chronological  order  increases. 
The  day  of  the  satisfactory  arrangement  of  the  whole  of  the 
poems  has,  however,  not  yet  come,  as  there  are  still  too  many 
unsolved  problems  in  the  field  of  Goethe  investigation. 

It  is,  of  course,  not  true  that  all  that  Goethe  wrote,  stood  in 
such  close  relation  to  his  life.  Many  of  his  proverbs  and  epi- 
grams and  also  part  of  his  poems  dealing  with  art,  science,  and 
the  like,  for  example,  are  obviously  without  such  connection. 
Even  in  the  case  of  lyrics  and  ballads  he  sometimes  sought  his 
inspiration  elsewhere  or  wrote  without  it,  particularly  in  his 
latter  years  ;  but  such  productions  can  not  generally  be  con- 
sidered among  his  best. 

Many  of  the  poems,  however,  which  appear  to  be  wholly 
objective,  originated  in  personal  experiences.  Sometimes  this 
seeming  objectivity  is  due  to  revision ;  more  often,  it  is  caused 


INTRODUCTION.  xili 

by  the  characteristic  manner  in  which  he  worked.  For  example, 
even  those  lyrics  which  are  most  evidently  based  on  personal 
experiences,  were  not,  as  a  rule,  written  when  the  stress  of 
emotion  was  greatest,  but  at  a  slightly  later  time,  when  the  crisis 
had  passed  and  calm  was  returning.  At  such  periods  he  could 
look  back  upon  his  former  state  as  something  apart  from  him 
and  could  sing  of  his  recent  self,  as  though  he  were  another. 

This  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  gifts  with  which  he  was  en- 
dowed. Through  it  the  most  subjective  of  poets  has  become 
one  of  the  most  objective.  He  has  that  power  to  move  hearts, 
which  comes  from  personal  experience,  and  yet  is  saved  from 
the  tendency  to  sentimentality,  which  is  the  peculiar  danger  of 
the  subjective  poet.  He  has  the  poise,  the  balance,  the  self- 
control  of  the  objective  poet  without  the  risk  of  his  coldness. 
Nature  sought  to  give  him  the  advantages  of  both  without  the 
disadvantages  of  either. 

It  is  easy  to  divide  Goethe's  life  into  periods.  Its  course  is 
marked  by  certain  salient  points  which  the  biographer  can 
hardly  avoid  making  the  beginnings  of  new  epochs.  The  same 
classification  is  not  wholly  improper  for  the  poems  and  is  fre- 
quently used.  And  yet  the  strongly  marked  divisions  into 
which  his  outward  life  so  naturally  falls  are  less  evident  in  his 
poems  than  elsewhere. 

It  is  very  questionable,  for  example,  whether  the  period  of 
(Sturm  unb  S)rang  with  its  accompanying  literary  lawlessness, 
which  is  so  evident  in  ®o£,  would  be  noticed  at  all  in  the  poems 
of  that  time,  if  they  stood  alone.  There  is  somewhat  more  of 
tumultuousness  in  the  thoughts,  of  boldness  in  the  themes,  of 
the  glow  of  passion  in  the  style  than  was  usual  a  few  years  later. 
All  that  might  be  passed  over  unheeded,  however,  if  his  bio- 
graphy and  his  other  writings  did  not  lead  us  to  look  for  it. 

The  transition  to  Weimar,  which  is  so  strongly  marked  as  the 
beginning  of  a  new  period  of  his  life,  leaves  not  a  trace  in  his 


xiv  INTRODUCTION. 

poems.  On  their  evidence  the  reader  could  never  be  made  to 
feel  that  a  great  change  had  taken  place.  The  first  months  at 
Weimar  are  rather  a  continuance  of  the  last  at  Frankfort,  so  far 
as  the  poems  are  concerned,  and  the  change,  which  undoubt- 
edly came,  was  later.  The  Italian  journey,  so  pronounced  as 
an  outer  mark  in  the  poet's  life,  is  in  no  way  characteristic  of 
his  poems,  except  perhaps  for  the  dearth  of  them  in  those 
months.  The  strong  classic  tendencies  of  which  it  is  supposed 
to  be  the  token,  really  began  before  and  culminated  afterwards. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  poems  might  more  justly  be  divided 
into  smaller  groups,  representing  briefer  periods,  which  the  bio- 
grapher is  not  so  wont  to  notice.  Not  infrequently  a  few  lines  of 
verse  might  be  considered  the  summary  of  a  brief  period. 
Often  a  single  lyric  marks  a  cast-off  emotion  of  which  the  poet 
had  written  that  he  might  be  done  with  it.  In  view  of  the 
multiplicity  of  such  periods  and  their  failure  to  coincide  with 
the  more  noticeable  events  which  the  biographer  properly 
chooses  for  his  classfication,  it  is  juster  and  more  accurate  to 
leave  the  poems  without  division. 

The  fact  is  that  it  is  not  proper  to  speak  of  development,  in 
the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term,  in  Goethe  as  a  lyric  poet  after 
the  days  at  Strassburg.  From  that  time  on  there  was  often 
change  of  interest  and  of  theme,  but  it  can  not  be  truthfully  said 
that  the  poems  grew  greater  or  better.  Goethe  came  *f  ~«e 
bound  to  the  full  maturity  of  his  power  as  a  lyric  poet,  and 
nothing  that  he  produced  in  after  years  was  better  than  the  best 
of  his  Strassburg  period  and  the  months  immediately  following. 

He  excelled  in  one  phase  of  his  poetry  at  one  time  more  than 
another ;  he  showed  evidence  of  awkwardness  in  the  use  of 
some  metrical  forms  as  he  began  to  employ  them  and  gained 
greater  skill  through  practice  ;  he  developed  interest  a.  wer 
in  certain  lines  of  thought  and  certain  themes  which  were 
foreign  to  him  previously  ;  his  views  of  life  became  in  many  r^ 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

spects  sounder  and  maturer ;  but  all  this  is  very  far  removed 
from  what  we  ordinarily  call  development.  There  was  no 
steady  advance  towards  the  better  and  a  culmination  later  in 
the  best.  His  best  and  his  worst  may  be  found  at  almost  any 
period  of  his  life,  from  the  days  at  Strassburg  to  the  time  when 
old  age  made  itself  manifest. 

There  have  been  few  men  more  industrious  than  Goethe ; 
few  also,  who  have  waited  more  on  inspiration.  He  was  fond 
of  expressing  his  manner  of  working,  the  way  in  which  his 
poems  came  to  him,  by  the  word  5lnjdjammg.  The  moment  of 
clear  perception,  of  inspiration,  might  come  swiftly.  Again  he 
might  be  compelled  to  carry  a  theme  about  with  him  for  a  long 
time,  waiting  for  the  inspiration  which  came  tardily  or  perhaps 
not  at  all.  His  first  interest  in  a  subject  was  not  always  due  to 
his  own  experiences.  It  might  come  to  him  in  one  of  various 
ways,  particularly  from  his  reading,  for  Goethe,  like  Shakespeare, 
was  in  more  respects  than  one  "a  sturdy  borrower."  But 
whatever  its  origin,  it  became  his  own  and  sought  expression. 

Such  a  poet  had  necessarily  his  times  of  extreme  productivity 
and  other  periods  in  which  few  poems  came  into  existence. 
The  months  in  Italy  are  a  noticeable  illustration.  Full  as  they 
were  of  all  manner  of  instruction  and  profit,  crowded  as  they 
were  with  notable  achievements  in  other  fields  of  his  literary 
activity,  they  show  almost  nothing  in  the  way  of  minor  poems. 
Mau_,  Another,  though  briefer,  period  of  like  sterility,  so  far  as 
his  lyrics  are  concerned,  could  easily  be  pointed  out.  As  a  rule, 
the  poems  of  the  times  of  greatest  productivity  are  the  best.  A 
chronological  arrangement  must  necessarily  reveal  large  gaps 
and  show  that  the  flood  of  his  lyrics  advanced  by  leaps  and 
bounds  rather  than  as  a  steadily-flowing  stream. 

Aso;  fffeave  already  seen,  many  of  Goethe's  poems  are  his 
own  outlived  thoughts  and  emotions  turned  into  poetry.  They 
"--'.is  stood  for  an  extreme  phase  or  crisis,  which  might  never 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

return.  They  were  truth  itself  for  the  period  which  they  repre- 
sented, although  they  might  be  the  strongest  contradiction  of 
what  came  to  him  later.  They  were  a  necessity  of  his,  being, 
for  in  no  other  way  could  he  lay  the  ghost  of  a  thought  or  an 
emotion.  His  method  of  procedure  explains  such  remarks  as 
the  one  quoted  in  the  Notes  concerning  his  28eft=oftlicf)er  3)it>cm 
(see  page  2.52.  below). 

Therefore,  he  who  looks  in  Goethe's  poems  for  a  system  of 
philosophy  or  a  code  of  well-digested,  consistent  thought  is  en- 
gaged in  a  vain  search.  He  finds  rather  a  bundle  of  inconsist- 
encies, for  he  finds  life.  Many  of  the  poems,  as  the  outcome  of 
personal  experiences,  are  merely  the  extreme  expression  of  an 
all-dominating  idea  which  seeks  outlet,  regardless  whether  it  is 
in  harmony  with  the  convictions  of  yesterday  or  whether  to- 
morrow's may  not  give  it  the  lie. 

Nor  does  Goethe  always  show  perfection  in  the  metrical 
construction  or  the  rimes  of  his  poems.  Even  the  most  inex- 
perienced can  detect  lines  which  scan  improperly.  Careless  and 
imperfect  rimes  may  be  found  as  easily.  Often  a  poorer  poet 
might  be  more  correct.  And  yet  Goethe's  seeming  carelessness 
and  inaccuracy  are  frequently  the  better  art  which  refuses  to 
neglect  sense  for  sound  or  is  cognizant  of  the  higher  harmonies 
of  a  language. 

So  conscious  was  he  of  the  harmonious  movement  of  his 
poems  that  he  had  constantly  in  mind  the  musical  effect  of  his 
lyrics  and  ballads.  It  may  be  truthfully  said  that  he  has  literally 
sung  his  way  into  the  hearts  of  the  German  people.  Musical 
composers  both  great  and  small  have  shown  their  appreciation 
of  this  quality  of  his  poems  by  setting  so  many  of  them  to 
music  (in  the  case  of  a  few  scores  and  scores  of  times) .  That 
the  impulse  has  not  spent  its  force  is  a  matter  of  common 
knowledge. 

The  surest  evidence  of  the  increasingly  large  space  which  he 


INTRODUCTION.  xvii 

is  occupying  in  the  thoughts  of  the  world  is  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  literature  concerning  him.  His  poems  have  come  in  for 
their  share  of  comment  and  explanation.  This  study  and  in- 
vestigation have  not  been  without  results  and  find  their  justifi- 
cation in  Goethe's  own  words  concerning  ancient  and  modern 
poets,  as  found  in  one  of  his  proverbs  : 

2)emt  bet  ben  alien  lieben  Soten 
33raud)t  man  (Srflarung,  mitt  man  S^oten; 
2)ie  9?eiten  glaubt  man  blant  311  Derftefnt; 
S)od)  ofyne  Solmetfdj  nrirb'8  and)  nicijt  getjn. 


®jdbi$$ 


1.    3n 
t>on  ^rie^ictj  Ztlayimilian  Jttoors. 

^ranffurt  ben  28.  2lugufl  1765. 

(§3  fyat  ber  5(utor,  toenn  er  frfjretbt, 
(go  etma^  ©enriffeS,  ba^  i^n  treibt, 
3)en  Xrteb  ^atf  aud)  ber  5l(ej:anber 
Unb  all  bte  §e(ben  mtt  ehtanber. 

fc^retb7  ic^  aurf)  at^ter  mid)  em : 
mod)t;  ntd)t  gem  tiergeffen  fetn. 


ge^ft!   Qtf)  murre. 
!  lag  mid)  murren. 


biefe3  £attb. 


X)ampfenbe  Otobernebel 
$ertt>eben  i^r 
§ter  ungertrennlid). 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

©ebarort 

3nfc!tenr 


Sim  fd)ilttgten  Ufer 
£tegt  bte  looflufttge, 
15  glammenge^lingte 

@eftret(f)e(t  t)om 

glie^e  fanfte 

3n  ber  3ftottbenbtimmerung, 

^)ort  fatten  prfenbc  $rotett 

20  3ufammenlimfte  auf 

(Sdjabett  fie  ntc^t, 
SKerben  fie  fcfyrecfen. 


glic^c  biefe^  £anb! 


3.    Her 


@rft  fifet  er  etne  SScilc, 
^te  @tirn  Don  Pollen  fret; 
Sluf  etnmal  fontmt  in  ©Ie 
@ein  ganj  ©efit^t  ber  (Sule 
SSer^errtem  Srnfte  M. 

S3. 

@ic  fragen,  tt)a§  ba^  fei? 
>'  ober 


(L 

,  fie  fine's  atte 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

4.    <5lucf  unfc  €raum. 

£)u  fyaft  ung  oft  int  £rawn  gefefjen 

3ufantmen  $um  TOare  gefyen, 

Unb  bid)  a(g  gratt  unb  mid)  a(g  Sftann. 

Oft  nafynt  id)  tt)arf)enb  beinem  SUhmbe, 

3n  etner  itnbenjac^ten  ©tunbe, 

<So  Diet  man  ^ii[fe  ne^men  fcmtt. 


retnfte  ©(ltd,  ba§  totr  em^funben, 
553ofluft  manner  retdjen  @tunben 
,  n?te  bte  £dt,  tntt  bem  ©enug. 
fyttft  eg  tntr,  bag  t(^  geniege  ? 

3Bte  Xraume  flte^n  bte  ttdnnften 

llnb  at(e  greube  tDte  cm 


5. 

Sluf  tiefeln  im  ^3arf)e  ba  Iteg'  ic^,  tt)te  ^efle! 
SSerbreite  bte  3(rme  ber  lotntnenben  SBelfe, 
Unb  bu^terifrf)  brittft  fie  bte  feljnenbe  ^ntft; 
®ann  fit^rt  fie  ber  £etd)tfitttt  im  (Strome  banieber; 
@g  na^t  fic^  bie  ^ttiette,  fie  ftreit^ett  mic^  mieber :       5 
(So  fitfyf  ic^  bie  gteitben  ber  med^felnben  Suft. 

llnb  booty,  unb  fo  traurig,  &erfd)(eifft  bit  tjergebeng 

'Die  !oft(tc^en  @tunben  beg  eitenben  Sebeng, 

3Bet(  bid)  bag  geliebtefte  aRabrf)en  tjergigt! 

£),  rnf  fie  juritcf e,  bie  Dorigen  geittn !  10 

(5g  fitftt  fic^  fo  fitge  bte  8ippe  ber  ^^^tten, 

5l(g  !aum  fief)  bie  Sippe  ber  (Srften  gefitgt. 


(Soetfyes  <Sebid?te. 


6. 


8a§  ntein  2lng'  ben  $bfd)ieb  fagen, 
£)en  ntein  Sftttnb  nicfyt  nefymen  lann! 
(Skitter,  tone  fitter  ift  er  $n  tragen! 
itttb  id)  bin  bod)  fonft  ein 


tt»irb  in  biefer  (Stttnbe 
©cttft  ber  £iebe  ftt|tc«  ^Pfanb, 
ber  $n£  t)on  beinem 
ber  £)rtt(f  t>on  beiner  §anb. 


t,  ein  (eirfjt  ge 

£),  tpie  ^at  e§  micf)  ent^iidt! 
@o  erfrenet  nn§  ein  $ettcf)en, 

man  fril^  im  TOr^  gepfludt. 

ici)  pflittfe  nun  !ein  ^rcinsdj 
Sftofe  me^r  fitr  bid). 

15  grilling  ift  e^r  liebe^  granjdjen, 

2lber  leiber  ©erbft  fur 


7. 

(S«  fdjhtg  ntein  §er^,  gef^tt)inb 
@d  tt?ar  geffjan,  f aft  el)'  gebad)t ; 
!Der  5lbenb  tniegte  fd)on  bie 
Unb  an  ben  Bergen  ^tng  bie  9?acf)t: 
@c^on  ftanb  int  ?Rebetf(eib  bie  (Sidje, 
(Sin  aufgetitrmter  D^iefe,  ba, 
3Bo  ginfternie  ane  bent  ®eftra'nd)e 
Wilt  ^nnbert  fdjmarjen  3lngen  fafy. 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 


£)er  9ftonb  uon  einem  Sollenpget 
@at)  tfagltd)  au3  bem  £mft  fyer&or,  10 

£)te  2Btnbe  fd)tt)angen  (eife  glitgel, 
Umfauften  fci)auer(td)  metn  O)r; 
£)te  9^arf)t  fd)uf  taufenb  Ungefjeuer; 
frtfd)  unb  fro^(id)  tt»ar  mem  3ftut: 

tneinen  3lbem  it)etc^e§  geuer!  15 

tneinem 


fa1^  id),  unb  bie  tnilbe  grevtbe 

Don  bem  fugen  53ti(f  auf  mid); 

war  metn  §erj  an  beiner  @eite 
Unb  jeber  ^Item^ug  fitr  bid). 
©n  rofenfarbneS  g 
Umgab  ba^  lieb(id)e 
Unb  3a'r^td)!ett  fitr  mtt   —  tfyr  ©otter! 
3d)  ^offt'  e$,  ic^  ocrbtcnf  e^  ntd)t! 

£)od)  ad),  fc^on  ntit  ber  20?orgenfonne  25 

^Serengt  ber  5lbfc^teb  ntir  ba§  §er5: 
3n  betnen  Stiffen  welc^e  ^Bonne! 
3n  betnem  3Inge  tnelc^er  (Sc^meq! 
-3d)  gtng,  bn  ftanbft  unb  fa^ft  jur  (grben 
Unb  fa^ft  mtr  na^  mtt  naffem  ^3(tcf  :  30 

Unb  bod),  tt)e(d)  @(u(f,  geltebt  gu  werben  ! 
Unb  Ueben,  ©otter,  weld)  em  ®lit(f  ! 


8.    Jttit  einem  ^ematten 

flletne  tinmen,  Ketne  flatter 
@treuen  mtr  mtt  Ieid)ter  @anb 
©ute  junge  gritfylingSgotter 
^anbelnb  auf  etn  luftig  ^3anb. 


6  (Soetfyes  (Sebtdptc. 

5 


um  meiner  Itebften 
itnb  fo  tritt  fie  bor  ben  (Spiegel 
51(1  in  ifjrer  SDfomterfett. 

(Steljt  ntit  D^ofen  fid)  umcjeben, 
@elbft  tnie  etne  iRofe  jung. 
^inen  ^It(f,  getiebte^  Seben! 
Unb  ic^  bin  belo^nt  cjennng. 


empfinbet, 

fret  mir  beine  §anb, 
15  Unb  ba^  ^3anb,  ba§  un§  tierbinbet, 

@ei  lein  fdjttmrfjeS  D^ofenbanb. 


9. 


Ijerrltcf)  leuc^tet 
SWir  bie  97atur! 

glan^t  bie  @onne  ! 
bie 


bringen  53(iiten 
jebent  3^e^9 
Unb  taufenb  ©titnmen 
3lu^  bent  ®eftrtincf), 

Unb  grcub;  unb  SKonne 
jcbcr  «ruft. 
rb',  o  @onne, 
Mro  8uft! 


(Soetfyes  (Sebicfyte. 


8ieb',  o  glebe  ! 
golben  fdjon, 

SCftorcjenttolfen  15 

jenen  ©irtjtt! 


fegneft 
frifdje  gclb, 


£)te  t)o(Ie  iBeft.  20 


Ueb'  id)  bid)  ! 
blicft  bcin 
Uebft  bit  mid)! 


@o  Uebt  bte  Serene 
©efcmg  unb  Suft, 
Unb  Sftorgenbtumen 


tc^  bid)  liebe 

tnartnem  55Iut,  30 

£)ie  bu  tnir 
Unb  greub'  unb 

^u  neuen  Siebern 
Unb  ^angen  gicbft. 

(Set  e\t»ig  glittflid),  35 

bu  mid)  liebft! 


(Soetfyes  <Sebid?te. 


1C.    Stirfrt  fcet:  Sttdjs,  fo  gilt  fcer 


S^tttage  fagen  ttrir 

SBolf  im  $itfy(en  ; 
5lmor  fam,  unb  fttrbt  ber 
er  tntt  une  fotefen. 


meiner  greunbe  fag 
grot)  bet  fetnent  §er^en; 
2lmor  blteg  bte  gacEel  au^, 
(gprad)  :  §ter  ift  ba^ 


Unb  bte  ga(fe(,  it)ie  fie  g(omm, 
10  Steg  man  etttg  ipanbcrn; 

britdte  fie  gefdjiDinb 
bte  §anb  be^  anbern. 


Unb  mir  retd)te 
@ic  mtt  (Spott  unb 
15  ^anm  berit^rt  nietn  ginger  fie, 

entflantnat  bte 


(Sengt  mir  5lngen  itnb  @efid)t, 
@efet  bie  ^Brnft  in  glammen, 
liber  meinem  gaupte  feeing 
20  gaft  bie  ®(ut  ^ufammen. 


£)od)  e§  brennt  beftdnbig; 
@tatt  gu  fterben,  tt>arb  ber 
Sftedjt  bet  mir  (ebenbig. 


(Soetfyes  <Sebtd?te. 

11.    minfce  ttuti. 

O  tiebltdje  Xfjerefe! 

Sie  iwnbett  gleid)  in$  33ofe 

£)em  offneS  2lnge  ficfy! 

£)ie  5lugen  gugebunben, 

§aft  bit  mt^  f^neH  gcfunben,  5 

llnb  itjarutn  fingft  bit  eben  mid)? 

X)it  fagteft  mt(i)  cmfs  befte 

Unb  ^telteft  mid)  fo  fefte, 

3?c^  fan!  in  beinen  ^og. 

^aitm  trarft  bit  aitfgebnnbett,  10 

Sar  atle  8uft  derfdjimmben; 

!Du  Itegeft  lalt  ben 


@r  ta^pte  ^in  nnb  tuteber, 
^Serrenlte  faft  bte  ©Iteber, 
llnb  alle  foppten  t^n.  15 

Unb  lotflft  bn  mid)  ntd)t  Ueben, 
@o  get)'  id)  ftets  tm  Xritben 
mit  nerbitnbnen  5Ingen  ^in, 


12. 

(Sal)  'etn  ^nab'  ein  ^Hogtein  ftetyt, 

aitf  ber  §eiben, 
fo  jnng  nnb  morgenfc^on, 
£tef  er  fc^neU,  e0  na^  an  fefyn, 
mit  tjielen  grenben. 
n,  $Ro«(em,  ^b^tetn  rot, 
anf  ber  §eiben. 


10  (Soeifyes  <Sebtd?te. 

$nabe  fprad):  $d)  bredje  bid), 
$RiJ3(etn  auf  ber  geiben! 
10  3?o3(ein  fprad):  Qfy  ftedje  bid), 

£)a§  bu  etoig  benlft  an  mid), 
Llnb  id)  toilfS  nidjt  (etben. 

,  Moslem,  ^Roglein  rot, 
auf  ber  §etben. 


15  Unb  ber  ftrilbe  l!nabe  brac^ 

'«  Moslem  auf  ber  §eiben; 

me^rte  fid)  unb  ftad), 
i()tn  bod)  lent  2Bet)  uub 

eben  (etben. 

20  Sftb'slein,  9?b^Iein,  ^Hog(ein  rot, 

auf  ber  §  etben. 


13. 

^ebetgeriefel,  tm  tiefen 
3m  ttnlben  2Ba(b,  in  ber  2Bintemad)t, 
^c^  l)brte  ber  5Bblfe  §ungercjel)eul, 
3d)  ^brte  ber  (gulen  ©efdjret  : 
n)au  wau  tt)au! 


fc^o§  eintnal  eine  ^a^'  am  £ann, 
5lnne,  ber  §er/,  ifyre  fdjinar^e  (iebe 
X)a  famen  be§  9^a^t^  fieben  SBemolf  $u  mtr, 
Saren  fteben,  fieben  Seiber  tiom  X)orf, 
wau  tuau  tt)au! 

IDO  too  too  1 
SBito    u! 


(Seethes  (5ebid?te.  11 

3d)  tannte  fie  alf,  id)  lannte  fie  toofyl,  15 

£)ie  2lnne,  bie  Urfel,  bie  my, 

£)ie  £iefe,  bie  23arbe,  bie  &,  bie  33etf) ; 

@ie  fyeulten  im  $reife  mid)  an. 

tt>au  tuau! 

tt)o  tDO  too !  20 

SBtto  t)it! 

nannf  icf)  fie  ade  bet  ^atnen  laut : 

nriflft  bur5(nne?  n?ag  wiflft  bu,«ct^? 
!Da  riittetten  fie  fic^r  ba  fcpttelten  fie  fief) 
Unb  Itefcn  unb  ^eulten  bacon.  25 

SBttlc  toau  iuau  man! 
IDO  mo  mo! 
Sito    n! 


14.    Der 

tt?  a  n  b  r  e  r. 

®ott  fegne  bid),  jnnge  gran, 


Unb  ben  fangenben 

5ln  beiner  ^3rnft  1 

Sag  mid)  an  ber  gelfentnanb  fyier, 

-3tt  be^  Utmbanm^  (Scfyatten, 

3)2eine  ^3iirbe  ID  erf  en, 

9?eben  btr 


©elDerbe  treibt  bid) 
be§  £age§  §i^e 
ftanbigen  ^Pfab  fyer?  10 


12  (Seethes  <8ebtd?te. 

33ringft  bu  Saren  au$  ber  <Stabt 
3m  8cmb  fyernm? 
8adjelft,  grembling, 
liber  meine  grage? 

8?  a  tt  b  r  e  r. 

15  $eine  SKaren  bring'  id)  au§  ber  <Stabt 

^iit)(  tDtrb  nun  ber  9Ibenb; 
3etge  mir  ben  ^Brnnnen, 
£)rau§  bn  trtnleft, 
Setbl 


5  ra«. 

20  §ier  ben  gelfenpfab  ^tnanf. 

tioran!    ®ur^«  ®ebitfcf)e 
ber  ^Pfab  nad)  ber  giitte, 


3u  bent  ^3rnnnen, 
25  !iDen  id)  trinfe. 

ID  a  n  b  r  c  r. 

orbnenber  ;3ftenfd)enl)anb 

bem  ®eftrdnc^! 

!Diefe  ©teine  ^aft  bn  nid)t  gefitgt, 
SHeidjfyinftrenenbe  9^atnr! 

$  r  a  u. 

30  Setter  fn'nanf! 

H?  a  n  b  r  e  r. 

$on  bem  9)^oo§  gebecft  ein  $rd)itrat)! 
3d)  erlenne  bic^,  bilbenber  ®etft! 
©aft  bein  @iege(  in  ben  @tein  gepragt 


(Soetfjes  <5ebtd?te.  13 

$rau. 

^Setter,  grembfing! 

W  a  n  b  r  c  r. 

(Sine  -3ttfd)ttft,  Mer  bte  id)  trete!  35 


(efenl 

SBeggetnanbelt  feib  ifyr, 
Xiefgegrabne  Sorte, 
^Die  it)t  cures  9)Mfter§  5(nbacf)t 
Slaufenb  ^nleln  $etgen  fodtet.  4o 


,5  r  a  u. 

@tauneft,  grembttncj, 
!Diefe  (Stem'  an? 
£)robett  finb  ber  @tetne  Diel 
llm  tnetne  §ittte. 

JD  a  n  b  r  c  r. 

£)robett?  45 

,5  r  a  u. 

ur  Sinfen 


0?  a  n  b  r  e  r. 

S^itfen  unb  ©ratten! 

5r«u. 

tft  tnetne  §ittte.  5o 


It?  a  n  b  r  c  r. 

Xrnmnter! 


Qttillt  .ber  33runnen, 
!Den  id)  trtnle. 


14  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

W  a  n  b  r  c  r. 

55  ©litfyenb  roebft  bit 

Uber  behtem  ©wbe, 
©ettiuS!  itber  bir 
3ft  pfammengeftiiqt 
£)em  SWciftcrftad, 

60  O  bu  Unfterbltrf)er! 


Saif  ,  id)  ^oie  ba«  ©efdg 
Xrinlen. 


If  a  n  b  r  c  r. 

fjat  betne  f(i)Ianfe 
©otterbtlbung  umfteibet. 
65  2Bie  bu  emporftrebft 

5lue  bem  (Sc^uttc, 
@au(enpaar  1 
llnb  bit,  etnfame  (Sc^iDefter  bort, 


70  T)Uftre§  2J?oo«  auf  bent  IjetUgen 

3J?ajeftattfd)  traucrnb  Ijera&fdjaut 

5luf  bie  jertritmmerten 

3u  cucrn  8«6^n/ 

(Sure  ©efd)lDtfter! 
75  3tt  be§  ^Brombeergeftrditc^eS  fatten 

X)ecft  fie  (Sdjutt  unb  (grbc, 

llnb  fyofyeS  ®ra§  luantt  britber  ^in. 

(Sdjftfeeft  bit  fo, 


80  llnempfinb(id)  jertriimmerft  bu 

£)em  geiligtum? 
(Sficft  X)tfteln  brein? 


15 


3Bte  ber  flnabe  fcpftl 
Siflft  bit  in  ber  gittte  ruljti, 
grembitng?    SBillft  bu  Ijter  85 

Sieber  in  bent  greien  bkiben? 
(gS  ift  fitljU    9^imm  ben 
id)  Staffer  fc^opfen 
,  gieber!  fct)Iaf! 


It)  a  n  b  r  e  r. 

ift  beine  9?n^!  90 

,  in  Ijhmnlifdjer  @efunb()eit 

ul)ig  atntet! 
gcborcn  itber  9teften 
$ercjangenl)eit, 

®ctft  anf  bir!  95 

2Be(ct)en  ber  nmfdjivebt, 
SBirb  in  ©fitterfclbftgcfit^l 
3ebe^  Xag§  geniejsen. 
Roller  ^eim  Ui\tf  anf, 

gla'n^enben  grit()(ing^  100 


llnb  leucfjte  Dor  beinen  ©efellen! 

Unb  ir>e(!t  bie  ^3tuten^itl(e  meg, 

£>ann  fteig?  an§  beinem  33nfen 

!5)ie  uolle  grncftt  105 

llnb  reife  ber  @onn?  entgegen. 

5  tau. 

®efegne;g  ©ott!  —  Unb  frfjlaft  er  nod>? 

3d)  fyabe  nif^t^  junt  frifd^en  Xrnnl 

2tt$  ein  @tii(f  ^Brot,  ba§  id)  bir  bieten  lann. 


16  (Seethes  <Sebtd?te. 


W  a  n  b  r  c  r. 

3d)  battle  Mr. 

2Bte  tyerrlid)  atteS  blityt  timber 

Unb  gritnt! 


nrirb  batb 
§aufe  fern 
us  23om  getb.    O  bleibc,  bkibc,  SWatm! 

llnb  t    tnit  ttn§  ba^  5lbenbbrot. 


XD  a  n  b  r  c  r. 


Da,  jttrifcljett  betn  ©ematter  ^er. 
Die  gittte  baute  nod)  ntetn  $ater 

120  5ln§  3tege(n  nnb  be8  @c^uttc«  @tetnen. 

§ier  tt)o^nen  ttrir. 
it  gab  nttrf)  einent  2lcfer$tnann 
llnb  ftarb  in  nnfern  9lrmen.  — 
§aft  bu  gefc^Iafen,  Iiebe§  §crg? 

125  2Bie  er  ntunter  ift  nnb  fpieten  luilt! 


U?  a  n  b  r  e  r. 

bn  ettrig  leintenbe, 
©c^affft  jeben  jnm  ®ennjj  be« 
§aft  beine  $inber  a((e  ntittterlic^ 
130  TOt  (grbtetl  an^geftattet,  einer  §utte. 

§oc^  bant  bie  @cf)tt)alb'  an  ba§  ®efttnS, 
Unfit^tenb,  metc^en 
@ie  berflebt  j 


<Soetfyes(5ebtd?te.  17 


£)te  SRcmj)'  umfpimtt  ben  golbneu 
3um  SBtnterfyauS  fur  ifyre  33rut;  135 

llub  bu  flidft  £tt)tfd)en  ber  $ergangeuf)eit 
(Srfyabne  Drummer 
gitr  beine  ^Bcbitrfniff 
©nc  ©ittte,  o  9J2euf4 

©euiefeeft  itber  ©rcibern  !  -  140 

I,  bu  gUtdtid)  Setb! 


£)u  triflft  nic^t  bteiben? 

lt>  a  n  b  r  e  r. 

®ott  cr^alf 


;  euern  ^naben! 


®(it(f  auf  beu  2Beg!  145 

ID  a  n  b  r  e  r. 


fityrt  mid)  ber 
T)ort  itbern 


W  a  n  b  r  e  r. 

ie  »cit  iff«  fyin? 


!Dret  SWctlen  gut.  150 

W  a  n  b  r  e  r. 


,  (cite  tnetnen  ©ang,  97atur  I 


18  (Soetfyes  (Sebtd?te. 


£)en  iiber  ©rciber 

i55  geiliger  $ergangenf)eit 

d  ttanble. 


SSonn  9lorb  gebecft, 

Unb  \w  bem 
160  (Sin  ^a^e(ti)cilbd)en 

llnb  !e^f  id)  bcmtt 

5lm  5lbenb  tjeim 

3ur  gittte, 

3Sergolbet  t)om  (e^ten 
165  Sa§  mt(^  empfangen  fold)  em 

auf  bem 


15. 

§at  afle«  feme  3ett. 
9^a^e  li)irb  tueit, 
3Banne  tuirb  fait, 

$)er  Sunge  n)irb  alt, 
talte  iDtrb  loarm, 
Sfteidje  wtrb  arm, 
9^arre  gefcfyeit, 
311  feiner 


16.    XHlettant  unb  liritifer. 


fyatf  ein  ^nab'  etne  ^laube  gart, 
fdjon  oon  garben  unb  bunt, 


(Soetljes  <Sebtd?te.  19 


®ar  fyerglid)  tieb,  nad)  $nabenart, 
®ea£et  au$  feinem  9ftunb, 
llnb  fyatte  fo  greub'  am  Xaubcfyen  fein, 
er  nicfyt  lonnte  fief)  freuen  allein. 


£)a  lebte  nidjt  toett  ein  ^ 

(§rfa!)ren  unb  le^rretcf)  unb  fc^iria^tg  barum; 

£)er  Ijatte  ben  ^ttaben  mand)  <Stimb(em  ergo^t, 

^Bunbern  unb  Sitgen  tierpra^lt  unb  t>erfd)tna^t.     10 


metnem  guc^^  bod)  niein  £a'ube(em  getgen!" 
(ief  unb  fanb  i^n  ftretfen  in  @trduc^en. 
iel),  guc^§,  mein  lieb  Xaubletn,  ntein  Saubc^en  f  o  fd)b'n  ! 
gaft  bu  bein  Xag  fo  ein  £ciubd)en  gefe^n?" 


£)er  ^nabe  rci^t^.  —  ®c^t  wo^(  an;      15 
5lber  e§  fel)(t  nod)  mandjeS  bran. 
X)ie  gebern,  gum  (S^empel,  finb  gu  lurg  geraten.  - 
!£>a  fing  er  an,  rupff  fid)  ben  ^Braten. 
T>er  $nabe  fd)rie.  —  J)tt  mu^t  fta'rfre  einfe^en, 
@onft  giert^  nic^t,  fdjnnnget  nicf)t.  -  20 

!Da  noar'8  na(ft  —  90^i§geburt!  —  unb  in 
brid)t. 


fid)  erfennt  im  Inaben  gut, 
fei  t>or  giic^fen  auf  feiner  gut. 


17.    Das 

(Sin  23ei(d)en  auf  ber  Siefe  ftanb, 
©ebMt  in  fic^  unb  unbelannt ; 
@«  U)ar  ein 


20  (Soetfjes  (5ebtd?te. 

Da  lam  due  junge  ©djaferin 
s  SD?it  leid)tem  @djritt  unb  munterm 

Dafyer,  bafyer, 
Die  2Biefe  fyer,  unb  fang. 

$d)!  benft  ba$  23ei(d)en,  toaY  id)  nnr 
Die  fcfyonfte  ^31nme  ber  9tatnr, 
10  2ld),  nur  ein  Itemed  3Bei(d)en, 

33t3  mtc^  ba^  Siebdjen  abgeppitcft 
Unb  an  bem  33nfen  matt  gebritcft! 
3Ic^  nniv  ac^  nur 
(Sin  SMertelftimbdjen  lang! 


15  51^!  aber  ad)!  ba§  ^abc^en  lam 

Unb  nic^t  in  ad)t 
(Srtrot  ba§  arme  $ei(d)en. 
@«  fan!  unb  ftarb  unb  freuf  fid)  no 
Unb  fterb'  id)  benn,  fo  fterb'  id)  bod) 

20  T)urc^  fie,  burd)  fie, 

3u  il)ren  giige 


18.    Der  ^ioni     in 


en     ong  n 
®ar  treu  bis  an  baS  ©rab, 
Dem  ftcrbcnb  feine  $3uf)le 
(Sinen  golbnen  33edjer  gab. 

^^  ging  i^m  nid)t^  bariiber, 
^r  leerf  il)n  jeben  ®^mau^  ; 
Die  5lugen  gingen  ifym  itber, 
(So  oft  er  tranf  barau^. 


<5ebid?te.  21 


Unb  al$  er  lam  gu  fterben, 
gatyt'  er  feine  @tabf  im  Sfteirf), 
©b'nnf  afteS  fetnem  (Srben, 
£)en  23ed)er  nirfjt 


fa§  beim 

fitter  um  i^n  ^er, 

o^em  $aterfaale  15 

!Dort  auf  bem  (Scijlofe  am  9J?eer. 


!l)ort  ftanb  ber  atte 
Xranl  (et^te  £eben$glitt 
Unb  luarf  ben  Ijeit'gen  33ed)er 
ginnnter  in  bte  glut. 

(£r  fa^  iljn  ftitrgen,  trinfcn 
Unb  finlen  tief  in$  9J^eer. 
!Die  5lugen  tl)dten  i^m  finlen, 
Xranl  nie  einen  Xropfen  mefyr. 


19. 

anf  bem  alten  Xnrme  fte()t 
£elben  cblcr  ®etft, 


faljren  ^ei^t» 

,  btefe  @enne  tear  fo  ftarf, 
fo  feft  unb  tnilb, 

o(i  t)on  ^ 
er  angefiiHt; 


22  (Soetfyes  (Sebicfyte. 


fjatbeS  Seben  ftitrmf  id)  fort, 
Sterbeljnf  bie  §alff  in  9tol), 
Unb  bn,  bu  9ftenfd)ett*Sd)iff(em  bort, 
Satyr'  immer,  immer  511!" 


2O.   Dine  ju 

tm  (Sommer  1774. 

unb  53afebo\D 


bet  Xtfc^  be 
§err  §e(fer,  ber  ttar  gar  nicl)t 

fid)  auf  einen  fc^iDargen  ®aut, 
einen  ^farrer  Winter  fid) 
Unb  anf  bie  Dffenbarnncj  ftrid), 
T)ie  un^  3o^anne«  ber  ^ropfyet 
SWit  9tcitfeln  tuo^r  ccrficgcln  tfjat; 
'  bie  ©iegel  !uq  nnb  gut, 
man  £f)eriat3bitd)fen  offnen  tfjnt, 
Unb  mag  mit  einem  fyettigen  9?ol)r 
iibu$ftabt  nnb  ba^  ^3erlent()or 
fjodjerftannten  3unger  Dor. 
3^  n)ar  inbeS  nid)t  meit  gereift, 
15  §atte  ein  ©titcf  (Salmen  anfgefpeift. 


$ater  ^Bafebotu,  nnter  biefer 
^adt  einen  3:anjmeifter  an  feiner 
Unb  jeigt  t^m,  tt)a^  bie  £anfe  !(ar 
^3ei  d^rift  nnb  feinen  ^itngern  n?ar; 
20  Unb  bag  fid)'e  gar  nid)t  giemet  je^t, 

man  ben  £inbern  bie  ^b'pfe  net^t. 


(Soetfjes  (Sebtd?tc.  23 

£)rob  argert  fid)  ber  anbre  fetjr 
Unb  toolfte  gar  nid)t$  fyoren  ntefyr 
Unb  fagt:  e$  ttut^te  etn  Jebe$  ^inb, 
!Da§  e§  in  ber  £Mbel  anber^  ftimb'.  25 

Unb  icf)  be^aglic^  nnterbeffen 
einen  §afynen  aufgefreffen. 


Unb,  tnte  nad)  @ntman§,  tuetter 
SWit  ©etft*  unb  geuerf^ritten, 
^3ro^ete  recfjt^  ^)3ropl)ete  tinl^,  30 

Seltlmb  in  ber  Smitten. 


21. 

Sag  regnen,  tnenn  e^  regnen  \vill, 
£)em  ^Better  [etnen  Sanf; 

§  ntd)t  mef)r  regnen  nrifl, 
t»on  felber  anf. 


22.    Un 


gort  ben  raffelnben  XrottI 
^3ergab  gteitet  ber  28eg  ; 
(5!(e^  (S(i)tt)tnbe(n  jogert 
SJiir  t?or  bte  @ttrne  betn 
grtfc^,  ^olpert  e§  gfetdj, 
Uber  (Stocf  nnb  ©tetne  ben  £rott 
fytnetn! 


24  (Soetfyes  <5ebid?te. 


fd)on 

eratmenben 

33erg  fn'nanf! 
5luf  benn,  nidjt'  trage  benn, 
©trebenb  unb  fjoffenb  I)inan! 


SBcit,  ^od),  ^errltc^  be 
15  9?ing^  in^  Seben  ^inern, 

33om  ©ebtrg  ^um  ©ebtrg 
@d)ft>ebet  ber  etrtige  ©etft, 
£eben$ 


3^e^  bid)  an 

Unb  ein  grtfdjiing  t)erl)et^enber 
ber  @d)mel(e  be6  a)?abdjen^  ba 
bid)  !  —  9ttir  auc^r  3J?(ibd)en, 
^iefen  fd)cimnenben  Xranl, 
25  !Diefen  frifd)en  ®efunbt)eit^blicf  ! 


benn,  rafd)er 

bie  (Sonne  fin!t! 

(g^;  fie  finft,  c^  mid)  ©rcifcn 

^rgretft  im  sJJ^oore  97ebelbnft, 

30  (Snt^afynte  liefer  fd)nattern 

Unb  ba^  fdjtotternbe  ©ebein. 


STrnnlnen  t)om  (e^ten  <StraI)l 
natc^,  ein  genermeer 
im  fc^anmenben  5tug;, 
35  Oftid)  geblenbeten  Xanmelnben 

n  ber 


(Soetfyes  (5ebid?te.  25 

,  @d)tt>ager,  in$  §orn, 

e  ben  fdjaflenben  £rab, 
ber  £5rftt8  fcernefynie:  nrir  fommen, 
gteidj  an  ber  Satire  40 

£)er  2Birt  un$  freunblid)  empfange. 


23. 

SJftein 


btr  I)ter  fd)on  tt)teber  ; 
£)od)  tft  mtr^  ir»o^(  urn  mid)  fyerum, 
X)arum  fc^retb'  id)  bir^  nieber. 

3d)  l)olte  ®olb,  id)  Ijofte  Sein,  s 

@tellf  al(e^  ba  pjammen. 

!Da,  ba^f  id),  ba  ttrirb  Sanne  fein, 

©el)t  mein  ©emalb'  in  gtamnten  ! 

t^af  id)  bei  ber  @c^a^e  gtor 

©tut  nnb  9^eic^tum  fc^ivarnten;  10 

SOtefdjenfleifd)  ge^t  altem  uor, 
Urn  fid)  baran  311  carmen. 

Unb  toer  nid^t  ridjtet,  fonbern  ftet^ig  ift, 
$5ie  id)  bin  unb  ttrie  bu  bift, 
!4)en  beto^nt  attd)  bie  Arbeit  mit  ©enuB  ;  15 

iDtrb  auf  ber  SBelt  i^ 
er  bletfet  nic^t  tntt  ftnmpfem 
Sang'  ©efottne^  unb  ©ebratne^  an, 
er,  irienn  er  nodj  fo  fittlid)  lant, 
bod)  nid)t  fonbertid)  cerbatit;  20 


26 


(Souberu  fagt  em  titcfytig  <Sd)iuteubeiu, 

§aut  ba  gut  taglofyuermagtg  breiu, 

gitllt  bi§  obeu  gierig  beu  $ofal, 

£riu!t  uub  unfcfyt  ba$  9ftaul  tt>ol)l  uicfyt  eiumal 


25         @iel),  fo  ift  9?atur  eiu  ^3ud)  lebeubtg, 
lluDerftaubeu,  bod)  ntd)t  untjerftaublic^  ; 

bem  §eq  ^at  Diet  uub  grog  33egef)r, 
U)o^l  iu  ber  2Belt  fitr  greube  tDdr7, 
^ouueufdjem  uub  aHe  ^Bciume, 
9i^eergeftab?  uub  alie  Xraume 
u  betu  §erj  ^u  fammeftt  mit  eiuauber, 
bte  Sett  burd)tniil)leub  ^3aut^,  (Solauber. 


Uub  nrie  mug  bM  luerbeu,  iueuu  bu  fitfyl 
^og  bu  alle^  iu  bir  felbft  eqieleft, 

35         greube  tjaft  au  beiuer  grau  uub  §uttbeu, 
511^  uod)  feiuer  iu  (Htyfium  gefuubeu, 
31I§  er  ba  mit  (Sdjatteu  lieblid)  fdjtuetfte 
llub  au  gotbue  ®ottgefta(teu  ftreifte. 
9?id)t  iu  ^Rom,  iu  9)?agua  ©racia, 

40         1)ir  im  §eqeu  ift  bie  Souue  ba! 

SBer  mit  feiuer  Gutter,  ber  97atur,  firf) 
giub't  im  @teugelg(a«  tt)of)l  eiue  SBelt. 


24.    promet^eus. 


beiueu  gimmet, 
SBoltettbuuft 
llub  libe,  bem  ^uabeu  gleid), 


(Soetfyes  <5ebtd?te.  27 

In  (gidjen  bid)  imb  33erge$f)b'l)n  ;  5 

2D?nj}t  tntr  tneine  (Srbe 

£)od)  toffen  ftefjn, 

llnb  metne  §ittte,  bie  bit  nidjt  gebant, 

Unb  metnen  §erb, 

Um  beffen  ®Iut  10 

£)n  nttc^  benetbeft. 


3d)  tenne  nidjts 

Unter  ber  @onn7,  a(3  end),  ©otter! 

3^r  na^ret  fitmmerlidj 

33on  Dpferftenern  15 

llnb  ®ebetgt)anc^ 

Snre  SWajcftftt, 

Unb  barbtet,  tnaren 

^td)t  Itnber  nnb  Settler 

|)offnnng$t>otte  X^oren.  20 


!Da  id)  ein  ®tnb  mar, 

ngte  too  an§  noc^  ein, 

'  tdj  mein  t)erirrt'ed  5(nge 

<Sonne,  at§  toenn  britber  war' 
Gmt  £)^r,  gu  l)b'ren  meine  $lage,  25 

(Sin  §ellr  ir)^e  tttefa3> 

be^  ^Bebrdngten  jn  erbarmen. 


a    mtr 
SBiber.ber  Xttanen  Ubermnt? 

rettete  com  £obe  mid),  30 

©f(at)eret? 
§aft  bn  nic^t  alle«  fclbft  Doflenbet, 
§ei(ig  glit^enb 


28  (Soetfycs  (Sebicfyte. 

llnb  glitfyteft  Jung  unb  gut, 
35  33etrogen,  9tfettung$bcmf 

ba  broben? 


3d)  bid)  efn-en?  SBofitr? 

§aft  bit  bie  @d)mer$en  gelinbert 

3e  be$  23e(abenen? 
40  §aft  bu  bte  X^rcinen  gefttttet 

3e  be^  ©eiingfteten? 

§at  ntd)t  mid)  gum  !3ftcmne  gefd)mtebet 

^)te  aKmadjtige 

llnb  ba$  etnige 
45  Sfteine  §errn  unb  beine? 

Sdljnteft  bu  etlua, 
Sty  fottte  ba§  £eben  Ijaffen, 
3n  ^Bitften  flie^en, 
Sett  nid)t  alle 
50  ^Btittentraume  reiften? 

§ier  fi^'  ic^r  forme  30?enfd)en 
9^ad)  memem  ^Bilbe, 
(Sin  ®efd)ted)t,  ba§  mtr  gletd)  fei, 
3u  (eiben,  gu  njetnen, 

55  3U  genie^en  unb  gu  freuen  fid), 

Unb  betn  nid)t  ju  adjten, 


25.    Heue  Ciebc  neues  Ccbcn. 

rnetn  §erg,  n?a^  fofl  ba§  geben  ? 
bebranget  bid)  fo  fefyr? 
ein  frembe^,  neue§  Ceben  ! 
erfenne  bid)  nid)t  me^r. 


(Soetfjes  <5ebtd?te.  29 


2Beg  tft  alfe$,  toaS  bu  (tebteft,  5 

Seg,  luarum  bu  bid)  betrubteft, 
2Beg  bein  gleig  unb  betne 
2ld),  une  lamft  bu  nur  bap  ! 


geffett  bid)  bie 

£)iefe  Iteblidje  ®eftatt,  10 

X)tefer  ^3lt(f  t)o(I  £reit'  uub  ®Ute, 

uueubltdjer  ©elualt? 

id)  rafd)  mid)  i^r  eut^ie^eu, 

ermauneu,  t^r  eutflieijett, 

mid)  im  5(ugeub(i(f,  15 

2ld),  meiu  2Beg  p  ifyr  ^uritcf. 


Unb  au  biefem  3awberfabd)eu, 
Dd^  fid)  uid)t  gerreigeu  Itigt, 
§a(t  ba^  (iebe,  lofe  TObdjen 

fo  tt)tbcr  Sideu  feft; 

iu  i()rem 

Seben  uuu  auf  if)re 
X)ie  3Seranbrung,  ad),  inie  grog 
£tebe  1  ?iebe  I  lag  mid) 


26.    3u  ben  Ceiben  5es  juittjen 

3eber  3«ttg(mg  fe()ut  fid),  fo  ju  lieben 
3cbe§  TOibdjeu,  fo  geliebt  ju  fein  ; 
5ld),  ber  ^eitigfte  t>ou  unferu  ^riebeu, 
SBarum  quidt  au^  il)m  bie  grimme 


^)u  'betoemft,  bu  tiebft  if)u,  (iebe  @ee(e, 

9?etteft  feiu  ©eba'^tni^  DOU  ber 

bir  tt)itt!t  fein  ®eift  au^  feiner 

ein  9J^ann  unb  folge  mir  ntd)t  nad). 


30  (Soetfjes  <5ebtd?te. 

27.    Uuf  fcem  Sec, 

Unb  frifdje  Sprung,  neueS  23lut 

id)  au$  freier  Selt  ; 
ift  Sftatur  fo  l)otb  unb  gut, 
£)ie  midj  am  Sufen  Ijciltl 
£)te  SBclIc  wtcget  unfern  ®al)tt 
3m  9?ubcrtaft  ^inauf, 
Unb  ^Berge,  tr»ol!ig  Ijimmelan, 
^Begegnen  unfevm  8auf. 


',  mem  Slug1,  tt>a§  finlft  bu  nieber  ? 
10  ©olbne  Xrautnc,  lommt  it)r  iDtcber  ? 

Seg,  bu  Xraum  !  fo  ®olb  bu  btft  ; 
§tcr  auc^  Sieb'  unb  Seben  ift.    * 


5luf  bcr  ^Belle  btinlen 
Xaufenb  fd)tuebenbe  (Sterne, 

15  2Beic()e  sJJebel  trtnfcn 

9^tng^  bte  tiirmenbe  gcrne  ; 
9)?orgentr»inb  umftitgelt 
£)ie  befdjattete  ^3ud)t, 
Unb  im  @ee  befpiegelt 

20  (Sid)  bte  reifenbe  grudjt. 


28.    t>om 

2Benn  id),  liebe  Sili,  bid)  nid)t  liebte, 
2Beld)e  SBonne  gab'  mir  biefer  ^3li(f  1 
Unb  bod),  toenn  ic^,  Cilt,  bic^  nic^t  liebte, 

id)  fyier  unb  fa'nb'  id)  bort  mein  ($lutf  ? 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte.  31 

29.    Sunfcesliefc. 

alien  gnten  ©tnnben, 

Don  8teb'  unb  2Bein, 
biefe$  £ieb  tierbnnben 
nn$  gefnngen  fetn  ! 

^alt  ber  ©ott  jufammen,  5 

unS  t)terl)er  gebrad)t. 
(grneuert  unfre  gtammen, 
^r  ^at  fie  angefac^t. 

<So  gtii^et  fro^ttc^  petite, 

recfjt  Don  §eilen  e^-  I0 

trtnlt  crncuter  grenbe 
®la§  beg  ed)ten  2Bcm«I 
in  ber  fyofben  @tunbe 
an,  nnb  litffet  trcu, 

jebem  neuen  ^Bitnbe,  15 

attcn  mieber  neu! 


SBcr  (ebt  in  unferm 
Unb  lebt  ntdjt  felig  brin? 
©enie^t  bie  frctc  SBcife 
Unb  treuen  ^3rnberfinn! 
@o  bletbt  burd)  alle  $eiten 


SSon  leinen  £Ieinigleiten 
nnfer  33unb  geftort. 


^at  em  ®ott  gefegnet  25 

SWit  freient  geben^blic!, 
Unb  afleg,  tt»a§  begegnet, 
(Srneuert  nnfer  ®(it(f. 


32  (5oetf?es  (5cbtd?te. 

£)urd)  ©riflen  nicfyt  gebrimget, 
30  SScrftiidt  fid)  leine  £nft  ; 

£)nrd)  gierm  tttdjt  geenget, 
(Sdjffigt  freter  unfrc  JBruft. 


jebem  ^rfjritt  lotrb  iwciter 
rofc^c  Seben^baljn, 
35  llttb  Better,  tmmer  Better 

(Stetgt  uttfer  ^3Ii(f  fjinan, 
lln^  tutrb  e§  ntmmer  bange, 
3Benn  attc«  ftetgt  unb  faflt, 
Unb  btetben  lange,  (ange  ! 
40  2luf  enrig  fo  gefellt. 


30.    Cilis  part. 

3ft  boc^  feine  Menagerie 
(So  bunt  al$  mctner  i^ilt  t^re! 
@tc  ^at  bartn  bte  nmnberbarften  Xtcrc 
Unb  friegt  fie  'rein,  n?eig  felbft  ntdjt  nne. 
5          D,  tt)te  fie  Ijitpfen,  laufen,  trappeln, 
SOttt  abgcftumpftcn  gUtgeln  Weln, 
5)ic  armen  ^ringen  allgutnal, 
-3tt  nie  gelofd)ter  8icbc«qual! 

wiBic  tytejj  Me  gee?  —  Silt?"  —  gragt  ntcf)t  nac^ 
10         $ennt  i^r  fie  nirf)t,  fo  bantet  ®ott  bafitr. 
Selc^  ein  ©ercmfd),  lueld)  ein  ©egacfer, 
2Benn  fie  fic§  in  bie  £pre  ftedt 
Unb  in  ber  §anb  ba§  gutterforbdjen 
ein  ©equief,  toeld)  ein  ©equocfer! 


(Beetles  <Sebtd?tc.  33 


,  afle  23itfcf)e  15 

@d)einen  (ebenbtg  311  tnerben: 
@o  fturjen  fief)  ganje  §erben 
$n  ifyren  giigen;  fogar  tm  Baffin  bie  gifdje 
^Patfd)en  nngebulbig  mit  ben  $opfen  fyercmS. 
llnb  fie  ftreut  bann  ba$  gutter  au^  20 

9Rit  emetn  ^BUtf  —  ©otter  ju  ent^Men, 
®efd)tt»eige  bte  ^3eftien.    !Da  cjel)t'$  an  ein  ^Stcfen, 
5(n  ein  @cf)fitrfen,  an  etn  §ad  en  ; 
@ie   ftitr^en  emanber  itber  bie  9iacfen, 

fid),  brancjen  fid),  ret^en  fid),  25 

fid),  angften  fic^,  betpen  fic§, 
llnb  ba$  all  nnt  ein  (gtutfdjen  ^3rot, 
,  trodten,  an§  ben  fdjonen  §anben 

in  ^mbrofia  gcftccf  t. 


Slber  ber  ^3(tcf  anc^!  ber  £on,  3° 

fie  ruft:  $tyi!  ^t! 

ben  5lbler  ^wpiter^  tiont  ^ron; 

3enu§  Xaubenpaar, 
3a,  ber  eit(e  ^3fan  fogar, 

-3d)  fd)tt)ore,  fie  lamen,  35 

2Benn  fie  ben  Xon  t»on  toeitem  nnr 


fo  ^at  fie  au^  be^  SalbeS 
^inen  ^3aren,  ungeledt  nnb  ungegogen, 
llnter  t^ren  ^3efd)(u§  fyereinbetrogen, 
llnter  bie  ja^me  ^ompanie  gebradit  40 

llnb  ntit  ben  anbem  ja^m  gemad)t: 

auf  einen  gemiffen  ^nn!t,  tierfte^t  fid)! 

fd)on  nnb,  ad^!  tuie  gnt 
@d)ien  fie  gu  fetn!  Qfy  fytitte  mein  ^3(nt 
©egeben,  nm  i^re  -Q3(nmen  gn  begie^en.  45 


34  (Soetfyes  (Sebtdjte. 


,,3l)r  [aglet:  id)!  2Bie?  2Ber?" 
©ut  benn,  iljr  gerrn,  grab  an$  :  3d)  bin  ber  33ar  ; 
3n  etnem  gtletfdjnrg  gefangen, 
5ln  cittern  ©eibenfaben  ifyr  gn  git^en. 
50  £)oci)  tt)ie  ba§  alle§  pgegcmgett, 

^  ettc^  jttr  attbertt  £tit  ; 
bin  id)  gu  ttjittig  l)eut. 


,  fya  1  fte^  ic^  f  o  an  ber 

Unb  ^or'  t)on  tDeitem  ba§  ©efdjnatter, 
55  <Sef)'  ba^  ©eflitter,  bag  ©cflattcr, 

$el)r'  ic^  ntid)  nm 

Unb  bnitntn', 

Unb  renne  rittftncirt^  eine  @trede, 

Unb  fef)'  ntic^  nm 
60  Unb  brntntn', 

Unb  tanfe  itrieber  eine  (Strecfe, 

Unb  le^r'  bod)  enblid)  it)ieber  nm. 


fa'ngfs  anf  einntal  an  gn  rafen, 
^in  ntac^fger  ®eift  fdmanbt  an$  ber 

65  @«  rt)i(b$t  bie  innere  97atnr. 

SKa^,  bn  ein  £fyor,  ein  §a^d)en  nnr! 
(So  ein  ^ipi  !  (5id)l)ornd)en,  9^n6  jn  fnad  en  ! 
-3d)  ftraube  meinen  borft'gen  9^a(fen, 
3n  bienen  nngett)b^nt. 

70  (Sin  jebe$  anfgeftnt^te  ^Banntc^en  l)b'I)nt 

9J?ic^  an!  3d)  PW  t)0m  ^3on(ingreen, 
3Som  nieblic^  gtatt  gema^ten  ®rafe  ; 
£)er  ^3nd)^banm  gie^t  tnir  eine  9?afe, 
3d)  flie^  ine  bunlelfte  ®ebitfd)e  ()in, 


(Soetfjes  (Sebicfyte.  35 

£mrd)§  ®el)ege  ju  bringen,  75 

«iiber  bie  ^(cmfen  gu  fpringen! 
Sftir  aerfagt  $(ettern  unb  (Sprung, 
(gin  Dauber  bleit  mid)  nteber, 
gin  3anber  fytifeft  mid)  nriber, 

arbeite  mid)  ab,  nnb  bin  id)  matt  genmtg,     80 
n  (teg'  id)  an  getimfteften  ^a^laben 
Unb  fau'  nnb  tDein'  nnb  tualje  t)alb  micf)  tot, 
Unb,  ad)  !  e$  ^b'ren  meine 

porjedanene  Oreaben. 


Sluf  etnmal!  $d),  e§  bringt  85 

(gin  feligeS  ©efitl)(  bnrc^  a((e  meine  ©lieber! 

ift^,  bie  bort  in  ttjrer  Saube  fingt! 

Ijore  bie  liebe,  tiebe  ©timme  tuieber, 

gan^e  Snft  ift  itwrm,  ift  bliitetioll 
Wtf),  fingt  fie  tt)of)(,  bag  i^  fie  fjoren  foil?  90 

3^  bringe  p,  tref  a((e  @trand)e  nieber, 
Die  33itfd)e  flie^n,  bie  ^Banme  tt>eid)en  mir, 
Unb  fo  —  $n  i{)ren  gitgen  Uegt  ba 


@ic  fiel)t  e§  an:  ,,©n  Unge^ener!  bod)  brollig! 

giir  einen  33aren  gu  mitb,  95 

glir  einen  ^3nbe(  jn  lt)ilb, 

@o  gotttg,  ta'pfig,  Inollig!" 

@ie  ftreidjt  i^m  mit  bem  gupdjen  itbern  D^ittfen; 

@r  benft  im  ^arabtefe  ^n  fein. 

3Bie  i^n  alle  fieben  @inne  jitden!  100 

Unb  fie  fie()t  ganj  gelaffen  brein. 

-3d)  fitff  i^r  @c^u^e,  !an;  an  ben  Soften, 

@o  fittig,  a(3  ein  ^3ar  nnr  mag  ; 


36  (Soetfyes  (Bebicfyte. 


facfyte  fyeb'  tdj  mid)  unb  fd)it»inge  mid) 
105    £ei$  an  ifyr  $nie  —  2lm  gimffgen  £ag 

£a£t  fie'3  gefdjefyn  unb  traut  mir  nm  bie  Dtjren 

llnb  patfdjt  mid)  mit  mutiDtdtg  berbem 

Sty  Innrf,  in  SBonne  neu  geboren  ; 

2)ann  forbert  fie  mtt  fit^em,  ettlem 
no     Allans  tout  doux  !   eh  la  menotte  ! 

Et  faites  Serviteur, 

Comme  un  joli  Seigneur. 

(So  treibt  fie'S  fort  mit  &$id  unb  Sadjen! 

@«  ^offt  ber  oft  betrocme  X^or; 
us    T)oc^  itjill  er  fid)  ein  bij^djen  unnit^  madjen, 
fie  it)n  furj  alS  lr>ie 


I)at  fie.  aud)  etn 
feiner  (Srbe  §onig  gleid)t, 
2Bot)on  fie  wo^t  einmat,  con  Cieb'  unb  5treu 

120    Urn  bie  t>er(ed)$ten  %\$\)en  i^re^  UngefyeuerS 
(Sin  Xropfc^en  mit  ber  gingerfpit^e  ftreic^t, 
Unb  \r»teber  flie^t  unb  mid)  mir  itberla'ftt, 
llnb  id)  bann,  Io$gebunben,  feft 
©ebannt  bin,  immer  nad)  iljr  jie^e, 

125    @ie  fud)er  fd)aubre,  inieber  fliefye  - 

(So  ta'gt  fie  ben  gcrftortcn.  Airmen  ge^n, 

3ft  feiner  8uft,  ift  feinen  (Sc^mei^en  ftitt  ; 

§a  1  mandjmal  Itiftt  fie  mir  bie  ^l)itr  ()a(b  offen  fte^n, 

(geitblicft  mid)  fpottenb  an,  ob  id)  nid)t  flteljen  tt)iK. 

130    Unb  id)!  —  ©otter,  tft'8  in  euren  §anben, 

bum^fe  3au^erit)e^  S^  enben, 
banf  id),  n?enn  ifyr  mir  bie  gretl)eit  fdjafft! 


(Soetfyes   (5ebid?te.  37 

£)od)  fenbet  ifjr  tnir  leine  §i(fe  nieber  - 

gan$  itmfonft  reef'  id)  fo  meine  ©lieber : 
fiiljl's!  %fy  fdjntfr'Sl  9?od)  IjabMd)  flraft  135 


31.    Un  ein  golfcnes  Ijer?,  fcas  cr  am  ^alfc 

^ngebenfen  bit  tierftungner  grcube, 
id)  tmtner  nod)  am  ©a(fe  trage, 

bu  (anger  a($  ba§  ©eetenbanb  im§  beibe? 
erlangerft  bit  ber  £iebe  lurje 


^Ue^;  ic^,  £tlt,  dor  bir  !  9Wug  nod)  an  betnem 
£)urd)  frembe  Sanbe, 

feme  £l)a'Ier  unb  SBa'Iber  maden! 

8tU'«  ©crj  lonnte  fo  batb  nic^t 

nteinem  ©eqen  fallen. 


ein  33oge(,  ber  ben  gaben  bric^t  10 

Unb  ^nm  SBalbe  !el)rt, 
(Sr  fd)(eppt  be6  ©efftngmffes  edjnta^, 
9^od)  ein  (Stiidc^en  be^  gaben^,  nac^  ; 
(5r  tft  ber  a(te  freigeborne  ^Bogel  nicfyt, 
(Sr  ^at  fd)on  jemanb  ange()b'rt.  15 


32. 

3nt  gelbe  fd)(eid)'  tc^  ftiU  nnb  nnlb, 
©efpannt  mein  geuerrol)r. 
£)a  fd)ii)ebt  fo  Uc^t  betn  liebeS 
mtr  uor. 


38  (Soetfjes  <Scbid?tc. 

s  £)u  ttmnbelft  je^t  tuofyl  ftift  unb  milb 

£)urd)  gelb  unb  ItebeS  £fyal, 
llnb,  ad),  metn  fdjnett  tierraufdjenb 
@tcKt  P  birj«  Tttdjt  emrnal? 


,  ber  bie  2Bett  bur^ftreift 
Unmut  unb  33erbru§, 
Often  unb  nacf)  Seften  fc^tDcift, 
cr  bid)  toff  en  mug. 

tft  c«,  ben!'  ic^  nur  an  bid), 
31*  in  ben  SDfamb  a^  f^n; 
15  (Sin  ftifler  griebe  lommt  auf 

nic^t,  n>ie  mir  gefc^eljn. 


33.    Hn  Cili. 

3n  etn  exemplar  ber  ©tella,  1776. 

3m  Ijolben  X^at,  auf  fdineebeberften 
2Bar  ftct«  bein  ^Bilb  mir  naf); 

urn  mid)  in  listen  Swollen 


(Smpfinbe.  fyier,  tuie  mit  a(Imad)t'(;em  Xriebe 
(gin  §erj  ba*  anbre 
Unb  baft  DergebenS 
3Sor  giebe   lict. 


34. 

£)er  bu  Don  bent  §immel  bift, 

Seib  unb  (Sdjmer^en  ftilleft, 
,  ber  boppelt  elenb  ift, 
mit  (grquidung  fulleft, 


(Soetfjes  (5ebtd?te.  39 

),  id)  bin  be3  £reiben$  ntitbe !  5 

foil  all  bcr  @rf)mer$  unb  8uft? 
r  griebe, 
$ontnt,  ad),  !omm  in  meine  33rnft! 


35. 

Sarnnt  gabft  bn  nn$  bie  tiefen  331id'e, 
llnfre  3nfnnft  af)nnng$t>oll  jn  fdjann, 
Unfrer  ^iebe,  unfenn 
SSa^nenb  felicj  ninuner 
Sarum  gabft  nn^,  @d)i(ffal,  bie  ©efit^te, 
\ln%  einanber  in  ba$  §eq  p  fefyn, 
Unb  bnrd)  all  bie  feltenen  @ettmi)te 
llnfer  loa^r  SSerpltni^  au^nfpa'fyn? 


),  fo  Dtele  tanfenb  9ftenfd)en  lennen, 

fid)  treibenb,  lanm  il)r  eigen 
<Sd)tt»eben  5tr>ectlo§  ^in  nnb  ^er  unb  rennen 
goffnung3(o3  in  nnt)erfel)nen  (Sdjtneq  ; 
-Sciudi^en  tuieber,  tnenn  ber  fd)netlen  greuben 
Unertnarfte  9)2orgenrote  tagt; 
9^nr  nn§  armen  liebetjollen  33eiben  15 

3ft  bag  tpe^fetfeit'ge  ®1M  uerfagt, 
Un§  gu  lieben,  ol)n;  nn§  gu  t?erfte^en, 
3n  bent  anbern  fe^n,  wag  er  nie  war, 
-3mmer  fvtfc^  auf  £ranmglM  angjngeljen 
Unb  jn  fc^wanlen  and)  in  Xranntgefafyr.  20 


),  ben  ein  leerer  £ranm  befc^aftigt, 
(ic^,  bent  bie  ^nnng  eitel  toaY  ! 
©egentnart  nnb  jeber  $8lid  belra'ftigt 
Xrannt  nnb  5Il)ntmg  leiber  nng  noc^  ntefjr. 


40  (Soettjcs  <5ebtd?te. 


25  (&atf,  nwg  ttrifl  bag  @d)irffa(  nng  bereiten? 

<Sag7,  trie  banb  eg  nng  fo  rein  genau? 
2(dj,  bit  marft  in  abgelebten  $eiten 
Sfteine  ©d)tt>efter  ober  meine  grau. 


$annteft  jeben  3^9  ™.  meinem  2Befen, 
30  (Spa^teft  tnie  bte  reinfie  Sftertoe  !(ingt, 

^onnteft  mid)  mtt  etnem  ^Blicfe  (efen, 
!Den  f  o  fd)»er  ein  fterblid^  Slug'  bur^bringt  ; 
2:ropfteft  ^agigung  bem  fjeifcen  ^Blutc, 
9?ic^teteft  ben  tt)i(ben,  irren  8auf, 
35  Unb  in  beinen  GmgelSarmen  rnljte 

!Dte  gerftortc  ^Bruft  fid)  ivieber  anf; 
©tcltcft  saitber(eid)t  i^n  angebunben 
Unb  Dcrgaufcftcft  ifym  ntand)en  ^ag. 
^Betc^e  ©eligfctt  glid)  Jenen  Sonneftunben, 
40  X)a  cr  banlbar  bir  $n  git^en  tag, 

5*it()It7  fein  §eq  an  betnent  ©erjcn 
gu^tte  [id)  in  beinem  5lnge  gnt, 
2lUc  feine  @innen  fid)  er^cttcn 
Unb  bernfyigen  fein  branfenb  53lut! 

45  Unb  Don  aflem  bem  ft^njcbt  ein  (Srinnern 

nod)  nm  ba§  nngetDiffe  ©erg, 
bie  alte  SBafyrfyeit  emig  g(etd)  im 
Unb  ber  nene  3uPan^  ^M  ^) 
Unb  lt)ir  fd)einen  nn^  nur  l)a(b  befeetet, 
50  £)a'mmemb  ift  um  nn§  ber  fyellfte  Xag. 

ttc^,  bag  ba§  <Sd)itffal,  bag  nng  qnalet, 
boc^  nic^t  tjeranbern  mag! 


(Beetles  (Sebtcfyte.  41 

36.    Hafilofe  Ciefre. 

£)em  (Sconce,  bem  SRegett, 
£)em  2Bmb  entgegen, 
3m  $)ampf  ber  ®litfte, 
£)urd)  ftebelbitfte, 

3mmer  git!    ^turner  311!  5 

unb 


gicbcr  burrf)  £etbett 

mid)  fdjlagen, 
fo  t)tcl  greuben 

ertragen.  10 

^etgen 


),  ii)te  fo  etgen 


foil  td^  pieljen?  15 

gteljen? 
oergeben^I 


©IM  ofjne 

Stebe,  btft  bit!  20 


37. 

d)  wei§  nid)t,  tr»a§  mir  ^ter  gefallt, 
ti  btefer  engen,  lleinen 


SSergeff  i(^  boc^,  t»ergeff  ic^  gent, 


42  (Soetfjes  (5ebtd?te. 


2Bie  feltfam  mid)  ba$  (Scfyirffal  (ettet; 
Unb,  ad),  id)  fiifyle,  nafy  unb  fern 
3ft  mir  nod)  mancfyeS  gubereitet 
D,  toare  bod)  ba$  recite  SJIafe  getroffen  I 
Sag  bletbt  mir  nun,  at^r  etngetjitlft, 
35on  ^olber  Seben^fraft  erfitlft, 
^n  [titter  ©egenwart  bie 


38.    Seefatjrt. 

Sange  Xag'  "unb  9lad)te  ftanb  metn  ©c^iff  befrac^tet  ; 
©ttnff  ger  Stnbe  ^arrenb,  fag  mtt  treuen  greunben, 
9Jiir  ©ebulb^unb  guten  9)M  eqec^enb, 
3f§  im  §afen. 

5     Unb  fie  toaren  bo)3pelt  ungebulbtg  : 

©erne  gonnen  wir  bie  fcfyneftfte  ^Hetfe, 

®ern  bie  fjofje  gat)rt  bir;  ©ttterfittte 

SBartet  britben  in  ben  SBelten  betner, 

Sirb  ^Hitctfel)renbem  in  unfern  Airmen 
10     8ieb;  unb     ret^  bir. 


Unb  am  friifyen  S^orgen  tt)arb7§  ©etiimmel, 
Unb  bem  @rf)(af  entiauc^gt  un§  ber  3^atrofe, 
5ltte^  tt)immett,  aUeS  tebet,  niebet, 
%ttit  bem  erften  (SegenSfyaucI)  ju  fdjiffen. 


15     Unb  bie  @ege(  blii^en  in  bem 

Unb  bie  @onne  locft  mit  geuerliebe; 
^ie^n  bie  @ege(,  jie^n  bie  ^of)en  SKoifen, 
-3aucf)gen  an  bem  Ufer  atte  greunbe 


(Soetfyes  <5ebtd?te.  43 

|)offnung$lieber  nad),  im  greubetaumel 
SReifefreuben  tucifynenb,  tme  be$  ($infd)iffmorgen§,    20 
bev  erften  fyofyen  ©ternennadjte. 


Slber  gottgefanbte  2Bed)feht>mbe  treiben 
(geittnarts  ifyn  ber  t>orgefte(ften  gafyrt  ab, 
llnb  er  fdjeint  fief)  t^nen  tjin^ugeben, 
(Strebet  (etfe  fie  311  itberltften,  25 

bem  3^e(^  auc^  auf  ^em  f^tefen 


5lber  au§  ber  bumpfen  grauen  gerne 

^itnbet  letfeiDcmbelnb  fid)  ber  @turm  an, 

£>rMt  bte  33bcjel  nteber  auf^  ©ettmffer, 

®rit(ft  ber  9J^enfd)en  ft^tneKenb  §er$  barnieber,     30 

Hub  er  fommt.    33or  feinem  ftarren  Sitten 

@tretft  ber  @d)iffer  Kug  bie  @ege(  nieber, 

3D^it  bem  angfterfitttten  £Me  fpielen 

Stub  itnb 


Unb  an  jenem  Ufer  britben  fteljen  35 

greunb'  unb  Sieben,  "beben  auf  bem  geften  : 

5ld),  ivarunt  ift  er  nid)t  fyier  geblteben  ! 

5ld>,  ber  (Sturm  1    $erfd)fagen  tr>eg  t»om  ©litcfe! 

@oll  ber  ©ute  fo  gu  ©runbe  getjen? 

m,  er  folite,  ad),  er  fdnnte!    ©otter!  40 

£)od)  er  fte()et  mannltc^  .an  bem  <2>teuu-  ; 
bem  @d)iffe  fpielen  3Binb  unb  SeUen; 
unb  Seden  nid)t  mit  feinem  ©eqen: 
§errfd)enb  bticft  er  auf  bie  grimme  2:iefe, 
Unb  tiertrauet,  fdjeiternb  ober  lanbenb,  45 

(Seinen  ©bttern. 


44  (Soetfyes  (5cbtd?te. 


39. 


,  ba$  £agit)erl  meiner  §anbe, 
§of)e$  ®liirf,  bag  tcfy'S  fcoflenbe  ! 
Sag,  o  tag  mid)  ntdjt  ermatten  ! 
9?ein,  e3  finb  nid)t  (eere  Xraurne  : 
Qtyt  nur  @tangenr  btefe  SBa'mne 
©eben  etnft  noc^  grudjt  unb  ©fatten. 


4O. 


tierntmmt  mid)  ?  ac^r  luem  foil  tdj'S  Kacjen  ? 

&enta'f)me,  it)itrb'  er  mid)  bebauern  ? 
),  bie  Sippe,  bie  fo  mandje  greube 

genoffcn  tjat  unb  fonft  gegeben, 
3P  gefpalten,  unb  fie  fd)merjt  erbarmlid). 
Unb  fie  ift  nid)t  etttia  iDitnb  getnorben, 
SBeit  bie  Siebfte  mid)  gir  tt)i(b  ergrtffcn, 
mid)  angebiffen,  bag  fie  fefter 
be§  grennb^  berfidjernb  itjn  genoffe  : 
97ein,  ba$  jarte  Sippd^en  ift  gefprungen, 
nun  iiber  9?eif  unb  groft  bie  SKinbe 
nnb  fcfyarf  unb  Iteb(o§  mir  begegnen. 


Unb  nun  foil  mir  ©aft  ber  ebten  Xraube, 
Wlit  bem  @aft  ber  ^3ienen  bei  bem  geuer 
15         2)^eine^  §crb«  Dereinigt,  Sinbrung  fc^affen. 
ld)r  nia6  tt»i((  bag  Ijelfen,  mifc^t  bie  Siebe 
ein  Xroden  i(re6  ^Balam^  brunter? 


(Soetfyes  (5cbtd?te.  45 

41. 

getger  ©ebnnfen 


$lagen 
SBenbet  lein  @(cnb, 
ntc^t  fret. 


Mien  ©cwaltcn 
^um  2^ru^  fid)  er^  alien, 
sJHmmer  fic^  beugen, 
trafltg  fid)  jetgen 

bie  tone 
©otter  ^erbet. 


42.    ^arjreife  *w  Winter. 

Dem  ©eier  gletdj, 

r,  auf  fd)tt)eren  9ftorgenn)o(fen 
fanftem  Sittig  ru^enb 
^Beute  fdjaut, 
@d)it)ebe  rnetn  8ieb.  5 

Denn  ein  ©ott  !^at 

^orgejeic^net, 
ber  ©lurfttdje 

jum  freubigen  10 

rennt : 
aber  Ungtiid 


46  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 


jufammengog, 
G?r  ftraubt  t>ergeben$ 

15  @id)  gegen  bie  ^djranlen 

£)e$  efyernen  gabenS, 
£)en  bie  bod)  bittre  @d)ere 
e  in  ma  I  (oft. 


i(^  ba§  rau^e 
llnb  tntt  ben  ^perltngen 
gaben  langft  bie  SReidjen 
3fn  i^re  (Sumpfe  fid)  gefenft. 

£eid)t  iff«  fotgen  bem  SBagen, 
25  !^)en  gortitna  fil^rt, 

2Bie  ber  gemcid)Ud)e  Xrog 
5Iuf  gebefferten  3Begen 
§tnter  be§  gitrften  (Sittpg. 

3Iber  abfctW  mer  iff«? 

30  3n3  ©ebufc^  ocrltert  fid)  fein 

©inter  i()tn  fd)(agen 
S)ie  @trdnd)e  gufammen, 
2)a«  ©ra«  ftefyt  mieber  auf, 
®ie  Dbe  t>erfd)Iingt  tljn. 

35  Sid),  luer  Ijettet  bie  @c^tncrgctt 

IDc*,  bem  23alfam  311  ®ift  »arb? 
!^er  fid)  9J?enfd)enf)a§ 
9lu*  ber  guile  ber  tfiebe  tranf? 
(5rft  Dcradjtct,  nun  ein  SBcrSt^tcr, 

40  3e^)rt  &  ^eimlid)  auf 

@einen  eignen  SS3ert 
3n  ung'niigenber  @elbftfud)t. 


(5oetfyes  (Sebicfyte.  47 

3ft  auf  betnent  ^falter, 

23ater  ber  £tebe,  etn  £on 

(geinent  Dfyre  fcernefyntUcf),  45 

@o  erqttide  fein  §eq  ! 

Offnc  ben  nntftolften  ^3U(f 

liber  bie  taufenb  QucKen 

sD7eben  bent  £)nrftenben 

3n  ber  Siifte!  5o 

bn  ber  grenben  trie!  fc^affft, 

etn  itberflie^enb 
©egne  bie  53ritber  ber 
5luf  ber  ga^rte  bc« 
30^it  jugenblid)em  Uberntnt  55 

gro^It^er  SWorbfu^ 
©pate  9?dd)er  be§  Itnbttts, 
!l)em  frfjon  3«^^  bergeblid) 
SBeljrt  mil  tnitttetn  ber  Saucr. 

5lber  ben  ^tnfamen  ^itir  60 

-3n  beine  ®o(btt)ollen  1 

Umgteb  ntit  Stntergrim, 

^3t§  bie  ^ofe  lineber  ^eranreift, 

!Die  fenrfjten  §aare, 

O  Siebe,  betne^  !Did)ter$  I  65 


ber  bdmmernben 
Seiidjteft  bit  i^m 
!Dnrcf)  bie  gnrten  bet 
Uber  grunblofe  SBege 
5luf  oben  ©eftlben  ;  7o 

bent  tattfenbfarbigen  SD^orgen 
bu  tn^  §er^  i^nt  ; 


48  (Soetfyes  <Sebid?te. 


bent  bet^enben  @turm 
£rcigft  bu  tfyn  l)od)  etnpor  ; 
75  SBmterftrome  ftitrgen  t»om  gelfen 

$n  feme  $[a(men, 
Unb  5I(tar  be^  Iteblic^ften  £)ants 
SBtrb  t^m  be§  gefitr^tcten 


so  !Den  mit  ©etftcrrei^cn 

a^nenbe  golfer. 


£)u  ftc^ft  mit  unerforfd)tem 
©efyetmttiSDoU  offenbar 
fiber  ber  crftauntcn  SBctt 
85  llnb  fd^aiift  au^  3Bo(fen 

i^re  ^Hetcfje  unb  §errltd)fett, 
bu  au^  ben  5lbern  betner  53rttber 
bir  toafferft. 


43.    Hn  6cn 


giitteft  mieber  ^3nfc^  nnb 
mit  ^ebe(g(an3, 
enblid)  and)  etnmat 


^Bretteft  itber  rnetn  ©efilb 
Sinbernb  beinen  ^Blitf, 
Sie  be§  greunbeS  5luge  mttb 
fiber  metn  ®efd)td 


(Soetfyes  <Sebtd?te.  49 

fitfylt  mem 


unb  trtiber 

^uifcfyen  greub'  unb 
3fti  ber  (ginfamleit 

gliege,  flte^e,  Ueber  glu^  1 

Dimmer  tr>erb;  tcf)  frot), 

<So  tierraufc^te  ©d)er^  itnb  £u§  15 

llttb  bie  ;treue  fo. 


befaj}  e§  boc^  einma(, 
fo  loft(td)  ift! 
man  bod)  jn  feiner  Qual 
dimmer  e 


enttang, 
Dfjne  ^Haft  unb  $Hul)r 

,  pftre  meinem  <Sang 


SBenn  bu  in  ber  ^Sinternac^t  25 

Sittenb  itberfc^wttlft, 

Dber  urn  bie  grittjlmg$j)radjt 

hunger  £nofpen  quillft. 


@eligr  aier  fid)  tor  ber  SBeft 

D^ne  gag  t>erfc^(tegt,  30 

(§inen  greunb  am  ^3ufen 

Unb  mit  bem  genief^t, 


,  tion  ^enfdien  ntd)t  gelnu^t 
Dber  nidjt  bebad)t, 

T)urd)  ba^  Sabi}rint^  ber  33ruft  35 

Sanbelt  in  ber 


50 


44. 

-3d)  tnar  em  $nabe  tt>arm  unb  gut, 
2ttS  Simgting  fjatf  id)  frtfdje*  Slut, 
SBerfpradj  einft  einen  9ftann. 
(Mitten  fyab'  tcl)  unb  gcltcbt 
Unb  Itege  nteber  ol)nbetritbt, 
^Da  id)  nid)t  toeiter  fann. 


45. 


raufd)f  ,  bag  Saffer 
(Sin  gifd)er  fag  baran, 
(Sal)  nac^  bent  5(ngel 


Unb  nrie  er  fi^t  unb  une  er  laufd^t, 
Xctlt  fief)  bie  glut  empor  ; 

bem  betuegten  3Baffer  raufd^t 

eucf)te$  SKeib  Ijert)or. 


fang  gu  i^tn,  fie  fprad)  gu  i^m 
fodft  bu  meine  ^3rut 
SWtt  3Kcttf^cn»tfe  unb  SWcnfe^cnlift 
§inauf  in  £obeSg(ut? 
Wfy,  iDiigteft  bu,  iDie'g  gtfdjfetn  ift 
(So  tt>o^lig  auf  bem  ®runb, 
15  !Du  ftiegft  tjerunter,  n)ie  bu  bift, 

Unb  nriirbeft  erft  gefunb. 


Sabt  fid)  bie  (iebe  @onne  nid)t, 
ic^  nidjt  im  3Jiecr? 


(Soetfyes  (Sebicfyte.  51 

toeUenatmenb  ifyr  @eftd)t 

boppelt  fcfyoner  fyer?  20 

Socft  bid)  ber  ttefe  §imme(  nidjt, 
£)a$  feucfytberttcirte  23(au? 
Sorft  btti)  betn  eigen  2(ngefid)t 
r  in  em'gen  £au? 


Saffcr  raitfdjf,  ba§  SBaffer  fc^tt)ofl,       25 
f  U)m  ben  naiten  gug  ; 

eq  tDucf)^  i^m  fo  fe^nfnrf)t«t)oU, 
2Bie  bet  bev  i^tebften  ©ru§. 
<§ie  fprac^  jn  it)m,  fie  fang  $n  il)m  ; 
!^)a  mar's  um  i^n  gefc^eljn  :  30 

'§alb  jog  fie  i^n,  fyalb  fan!  er  ^m 
Unb  tt>arb  nic^t  me^r  gefe^n. 


46.    <5efan$  ^er  (Beifter  iil>et  ben  tPafferit. 


bem  Staffer: 
33om  §tmme(  fommt 
3^^  §imme(  fteigt  e 
Unb  tnieber  nieber 


tt>ed)fe(nb. 
(gtrb'mt  t)on  ber 


rene      ra),  10 

fta'nbt  er  lieb(id) 


52  (Soetfyes  <Sebtd?te. 

3nnt  glatten  gels, 
Unb  leidjt  entpfangen, 
15  Salft  er  fcerfdjteternb, 

£et$ranfrf)enb, 
3nr  £iefe  nieber. 


tttppen 

turg  entgegen, 
©c^ciumt  er  immuttg 
@tufentr»etfe 
,3uTn  5lbgrunb. 


Qm  ftodjett 
(S^ktd)t  er  ba«  Stefentfjaf 
25  Unb  in  bent  gfatten 

Setben  tl)r 
©efttrne. 


Sinb  ift  ber  SBette 
?ieb(icf)er  ^3uI)Ier; 
30  $Mnb  mifd)t  Dom  ©runb 


SBie  gtetd)ft  bu  bem  Gaffer! 
(Sdjtdfat  be«  9^enfd)en, 
SBie  gleicfyft  bu  bent  SKtnb! 


47. 

$  tt)ar  ein  fattier  ©chafer, 
in  renter  ©tebenf^lafer, 
ln  litntnterte  fein 


(Soct^es  <Sebicf?te.  53 

(Sin  TObdjen  fonnf  tyn  faffen, 

£)a  tt)ar  ber  Xropf  fcerlaffen,  5 

gort  ttypetit  unb  ©djfaf! 

(50  trieb  i^n  in  bie  gerne, 
^e§  9?acf)t$  gft^If  er  bie 
(Sr  ftagf  unb  prtnf  fi^  brat). 


,  ba  fie  i^n  genomtnen, 
3ft  aUc0  iDtcber  fomtnen, 
!Durft,  Ippettt  unb 


48. 

liber  atten  ©ipfeln 
3ft  9tu^ 
3n  aKcn  SBtyfeln 
©pitreft  bu 
^aum  einen  ^cmd); 
!iDie  33oge(ein  f^eiQcn  tm 
SGBartc  nnr,  balbe 
bu  and). 


49.    Un 


£)en  (ginsigen,  Siba,  inel^en  bu  Iteben  fannft, 
gorberft  bu  ganj  fitr  bt^r  unb  tntt  9?ec^t. 
2lucf)  ift  er  ein^ig  bein. 
£)enn,  fcit  id)  Don  bir  bin, 
@d)emt  mir  be^  fdjnellften  £eben$ 
Sftrmenbc  -53etr>egung 

ein  leidjter  g(or,  burd)  ben  ic^  betne  ©eftalt 


54  (Soettjes  (5ebtd?tc. 

3mmerfort  wie  in  2Bolten  erbfitfe: 
@ie  lencfytet  mir  frennbtid)  unb  tren, 
10  2Bte  bnrdj  be$  9?orb(id)t$  bewegltdje 

($wige  ©terne  fdjimmern. 


50. 

SBer  reitet  fo  fpat  bitrcf)  9Jacf)t  unb 
^^  tft  ber  ^ater  mit  femern  $mb  ; 
(5r  ^at  ben  $naben  IDO^I  in  bent 
Grr  fagt  t^n  ficf)er,  er  fyaft  i()n  warm. 


5         3)iein  (Sofytt,  wa«  birgft  bu  fo  bang  bein  ©efic^t? 
@te^ft,  ^ater,  bn  ben  (Srlfonig  nid)t? 
:Den  (£r(en!onig  mit  ^ron'  nnb  (Sd)Weif?- 
aj^ein  <Sof)n,  e§  ift  ein  ^ebetftreif.  - 

,,£m  liebe^  finb,  lomm,  gel)  mit  mtr! 
10         ©ar  fdjb'ne  @piele  fpieC  ic^  mit  bir  ; 

bitnte  tinmen  finb  an  bent  ©tranb  ; 
at  manrf)  gitlben 


^ater,  mein  33ater,  unb  I)  or  eft  bn  nidjt, 
(grlenlonig  mir  letfe  fcerfpridjt?  - 
15         ®ei  riil)ig,  Metbe  ritl)ig,  metn  ^inb  ; 

3n  biirren  Slattern  fciufelt  ber  2Binb.  - 

,,2Bi(lft,  feiner  tnabe,  bn  mit  mir  ge()n? 
OJ^eine  £drf)ter  foden  bid)  warten  fdjon; 
9fteine  Xod)ter  fit^ren  ben  nadjttidjen  3?etfm 
20         Unb  wiegen  nnb  tan^en  nnb  fingen  bid)  ein." 


(Soetfjes  (Sebtcfyte.  55 

23ater,  mem  23ater,  unb  fieljft  bit  nid)t  bort 
(SritonigS  £od)ter  am  bitftent  Ort?  - 
2ftem  ©ofyn,  mem  @ofyn,  id)  fef)'  e$  genan  : 
@«  f^etnen  bte  alten  ^Ceiben  fo  grau.  — 

„$&)  (iebe  bti^,  mtc^  retgt  beine  fcfyime  ©eftalt;         25 
llnb  bift  bit  tttcfyt  tt)t((ig,  fo  brauc^'  id)  ©ettatt." 
Wiein  S5ater,  mein  $ater,  jei^t  fagt  er  mic^  an! 
(Srlfb'nig  I)  at  mir  ein  £etb3  getfjan  1  - 


er  rettet 

(5r  ()(ilt  in  Slrtnen  bad  ad^enbe  ^inb,  30 

©rrctc^t  ben  ©of  mit  SWtt^c  unb  9?ot; 
-3n  feinen  Airmen  bag  ^inb  roar  tot. 


51. 


fei  ber 

eic^  nnb  gnt! 

a§  attetn 
llnterfdjeibet  t^n 
3Son  alien  Sefen, 
£)ie  loir  lennen. 

§ei(  ben  unbefannten 

SBefen, 
inir  afynen! 
en  g(eid)e  ber 


glaitben* 


56  (Soetfyes  (Sebtd?te. 

£)enn  nnfiifylenb 
3ft  bie  9totur: 

15  (£8  (eudjtet  bie  ©onne 

fiber  33of  unb  ©utc, 
llnb  bem  23erbred)er 
©Itittgen,  tone  bem  ^Beften, 
!Der  attottb  unb  bie  (Sterne, 

20  SKittb  unb  ©trome, 

Conner  unb 
$Raii|ci)en  iljren 
Unb  ergretfen, 


25  ^inen  um  ben  anbern. 

fo  ba 

untcr  bie 
balb 

Sorftgc  Unfttyulb, 
30  ^3atb  aud)  ben 


etnigen,  efjrnen, 
®rogen  ©cfefecn 
sJ)Zitffen  loir  aflc 

35  Unfere^  X)afein§ 

^reife  uottenben. 

97ur  aflcin  ber  ^enfc^ 
23ennag  bag  ilnmoglidje 
(Sr  unterfdjetbet, 
40  fflBftljlet  unb  rtc^tet; 

^r  fann  bem  5lugenbticf 
!Daucr  oerlci^en. 


(5octf?es  (Sebtcfyte.  57 

(gr  aUetn  barf 

£)en  ©uten  (olmen, 

£)en  33ofen  ftrafen,  45 

§et(en  unb  retten, 

rcenbe,  @d)ti)eifenbe 

Derbmben. 


llnb  tDtr  bere^ren 
Unfterbltdjen, 

fie 

tm  gro^en, 
ber  33efte  im  Keinen 
ober  modjte. 


eb(e  OJ^enfd)  55 

l)ttfreicf)  unb  .gut! 
Unermitbet  fc^aff'  er 


et  nn^  em 
Setter  gea()neten  SBefen!  60 


52.    Her  Sanget*. 

l)or'  ic^  brau^en  t)or  bem 
auf  ber  JBriide  fcfjatten? 

Sag  ben  ©efang  t?or  nnferm  D^r 

3m  <SaaIe  roiber^aUen! 

^ontg  foradj'S,  ber  ^age  lief; 
Unabe  lam,  ber  ^ontg  rief: 
mir  ^erein  ben  5llten! 


58  (Soothes  (Sebicfyte. 

©egriiget  feib  mir,  eble  §errn, 
©egritgt  ifyr,  fcfyone  £)amen  ! 
10  2Beld)  reidjer  §immel!  (Stern  bet  ©tern! 

2Ber  fennet  ifyre  9?amen? 
3m  <Saa(  twit  ^radjt  nnb  ©errltd^leit 

t,  ^ugen,  euc^  ;  l)ter  tft  nic^t 
ftaunenb  gu  ergo^en. 


15  ^Der  ©anger  brudf  btc  5lngen  ein 

llnb  fc^tug  in  uoden  Xbnen; 
£)te  fitter  fd;auten  mutig  brein 
Unb  in  ben  (Sdjoft  bie  <Scf)bnen. 
®er  £bntg,  bent  ba§  £ieb  gefiel, 

20  Ste§,  it)n  ju  e^ren  fitr  fetn 

(Sine  golbne  $ette 


golbne  ®ette  gieb  mir 
£)ie  ^ette  gieb  ben  bittern, 
35or  beren  fu^nem  5lngefi(^t 
25  £)er  geinbe  Sangen  fpltttern; 

©ieb  fie  bent  $an$ler,  ben  bn  Ijaft, 
Unb  (a§  itjn  nod)  bie  golbne  £aft 
3n  anbern  £aften  tragen. 

3^  finge,  mie  ber  33ogel  fingt, 
30  X)er  in  ben  ,3tt>eigen  it>o^net; 

!Da^  Steb,  ba«  an^  ber  ^c^Ic  bringt, 
3ft  i^o^nr  ber  reicf)(ic^  lofynet. 
^)oc^  barf  ic^  bitten,  bitf  i^  ein«  : 
Sa§  mir  ben  beften  33ed)er 
35  -3n  pnrem  ®o(be  reidjen. 


(Seethes  (Sebid?te.  59 

@r  f efcf  ifyn  an,  er  tran!  if)n  an$ : 

D  £ranl  toott  fitter  Me! 

O  tt)of)l  bem  fyocfybegfttrften  §au$, 

So  ba§  ift  Heine  ®abe! 

($rgef)f§  eud)  ftol)l,  fo  benlt  an  mid),  40 

Unb  banfet  ®ott  fo  toarm,  al^  ic^ 

giir  biefen  Xrun!  end)  banle. 


53. 

it^  ber  (5infam!eit  ergiebt, 
3ldj!  ber  ift  batb  allcin; 
&i  jeber  (ebt,  cm  jeber  Itebt 
Unb  la^t  i^n  feiner 


ic^  meiner  £}na(!  5 

Unb  lann  tc^  nitr  einmal 
9?ec^t  etnfam  fetn, 
£)ann  bin  id)  ntd)t  alfein. 

@$  fd)(eic^t  ein  Siebenber  lanfdjenb  fac^t, 

Ob  feme  greunbin  aHein?  10 

(So  itberfd)(eid)t  bet  Xag  unb  9^ad)t 

(ginfamen  bie  $etn, 

(Sinfamen  bie  Qual. 
2ld),  tt)erb'  ic^  erft  einmal 
(Sinfam  im  ®rabe  fein,  15 

!Da  (agt  fie  mtc^  allein! 


60  (Seethes  <5ei)td?te. 

54.    Derfelfce. 

Ser  nte  fein  33rot  mil  £f)vtinen  afc, 

SBer  nie  bie  lummeruoUen  sJ?cid)te 

5luf  feinem  33ette  tnemenb  fa§, 

£)er  fennt  euc^  tttdjt,  iljr  ^immtifdjcn  sJJ2cid)te. 

s  3^r  fit^rt  to  Seben  un§  fytnetn, 

3^r  Ia§t  ben  Airmen  fdjulbig  tuerben, 
!Dann  itberta^t  i^r  if)tt  ber  ^etn: 
!Denn  a((e  @d)ulb  rddjt  fid)  auf  (Srben. 


55.    3lmcnau 

am  3.  September  1783. 

5Inmutig  X^all  bu  immergrimer 
3J?ein  §eq  begrit^t  eitd)  toieber  auf  ba^  befte  ; 
Gmtfaltet  mir  bie  fd)tt)er  be^angnen  Sfte, 
^e^mt  freunblic^  mtc^  in  cure  ©djatten  ein, 
(Srquicft  Don  euren  §of)n,  am  !ilag  ber  Sieb'  unb  l^uft, 
rtfdjer  ^uft  unb  ^Balfam  meine  SBruft! 


oft  mit  lr»ed)fe(nbent  ®efd)icfe, 

an  beinen  gu§  gurtitfc. 
Or  lafe  mic^  ^eut  an  beinen  fadjten  gof)n 
10     (Sin  jugenbtic^,  ein  neue$  @ben  fe^n! 

3d)  fyab'  e§  tuo^I  and)  mil  urn  eud)  t»erbienet 
3^  forge  ftifl,  inbe^  i^r  ru^ig  griinet. 

mid)  tiergeffen,  ba|  and)  fyter  bie  SBelt 
mand)  ®efd)opf  in  (grbefeffetn 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte.  61 

£)er  tobmann  leidjtent  @anb  ben  (Santen  an&ertrant  15 

llnb  feinen  $ot)(  bem  fredjen  SBilbe  battt, 

£>er  $nappe  largeS  33rot  in  $litften  fnd)t, 

£)er  $b'I)(er  gittert,  toenn  ber  3'a$ev  fmdjt. 

SBerjungt  eitd)  mir,  trite  i^r  e^  oft  get^an, 

$1$  fing'  id)  ^eut  em  neueS  ?eben  an.  20 

-3^r  feib  nttr  ^otb,  i^r  gcinnt  nrir  biefe  Xra'iinie, 
@ie  fc^nteic^eln  nttr  nnb  (ocfen  atte  $Reinte. 

inieber  [elbft,  t)ou  a((en  Sftenfdjen  fern, 

bab'  tc^  mid)  in  euren  1)uften  gern  ! 

raufd)t  bie  !)of)e  Xanne  tt)ieberr  25 

9)Ze(obifd)  ei(t  ber  Safferfaft  ^ernieber; 
^)ie  3Bolle  finrt,  ber  97ebe(  britdt  in§  tyal, 
Unb  e^  ift'^ad)t  unb  £)antmnmg  auf  einntal. 


ftnftern  2Balb,  beim  Siebe^blicf  ber 

tft  ntein  ^Pfab,  ben  forgloS  ic^  Derlor?  3o 

feltne  (Stintnten  ^brMd)  in  ber  gerne? 
@tc  fc^a((en  it)ecf)fe(nb  an  bent  ge(3  entpor. 
3d)  eile  fadjt,  gu  fel)n,  tua§  e^  bebentet, 

Don  be§  §irfd)e§  9?nf  ber  3^9^^:  [till  geleitet. 


bin  ic^?  iff  8  cm  3ftttbera8tt$ett?£anb?  35 

ncid)tltd)e§  @e(ag  ant  gn§  ber  gelfentnanb  ? 
Keinen  §ittten,  bidjt  ntit  9?ei8  bebetfet, 
)'  id)  fie  fro^  an$  getter  ^ingeftretfet. 
@8  brtngt  ber  @(an$  ^od)  bttrc^  ben  gicfytenfaat; 
3lnt  niebern  §erbe  lo^t  ein  rofycS  9^a^(;  40 

@ie  fdjer^en  laut,  inbeffen,  batb  geteeret, 
g(afd)e  frifd)  im  toife  ttriebertefyret 


62  (Soetfyes  <Scbid?tc. 

@agt,  toem  sergleicf)'  id)  biefe  muntre  @d)ar? 

23on  toannen  fommt  fie?  urn  luofyin  ^n  $ief)en? 
45     2Bie  ift  an  ifjr  bod)  atteS  uwnberbarl 

@o(I  id)  fie  grit  Jen?  foil  id)  Dor  ifyr  fliefyen? 

3ft  e$  ber  ^ager  tt)i(be«  ©etfterljeer? 

(gtnb^  ©notnen,  bie  ()ier  3a^ertofte  treibcn? 

3d)  fs^?  itn  33ufd)  ber  fletncn  Seuer  me()r  ; 
50     @§  fdjaubert  mid),  id)  mage  faum,  311  bleiben. 

SffS  ber  Sgtjptier  Derbadjtiger  Slufcntljalt? 

3ft  ee  ein  ftitd)tiger  gitrft  une  im  5lrbenn 

(Soil  id)  SSertrrtcr  ^ier  in  ben  t»erfd)lungnen  ©rimben 

!Die  ©eifter  @^alefpeare§  gar  nerforpert  finben? 
55     $a,  ber  ©ebanfe  fitljrt  mid)  eben  rec^t  : 

@ie  finb  e^  felbft,  tt>o  nic^t  ein  g(eid)  ©efd)(ed)t! 

Unbanbig  fd)ti)elgt  ein  ®eift  in  il)rer  bitten, 

Unb  bnrd)  bie  Otofyeit  fii()(;  ic^  ebte  kitten. 


nennt  t^r  it)n?  Ser  iff  8,  ber  bort  gebittft 
60     Sftadpffig  ftarl  bie  breiten  @d)nttern  britcft? 
(gr  fi^t  3nnad)ft  gelaffen  an  ber  glamme, 
X)ie  marlige  ©eftalt  an^  altem  §etbenftamme. 
©r  faugt  begierig  am  geliebten  9?ol)r, 
(§S  fteigt  ber  T)ampf  an  feiner  @tirn  empor. 
65     ©utmittig  trorfen  tneig  er  grenb'  nnb  £ad)en 
3m  ganjen  givld  tant  jn  mad)en, 
393enn  er  mit  ernfttid)em  ®efic!^t 
^Barbarifd)  bnnt  in  frember  SD^unbart  fprid)t. 


ift  ber  anbre,  ber  fic^  nieber 
70     5ln  einen  (Btnrg  be8  alten  33anme8  letjnt 
llnb  feine  (angen,  feingeftatten  ©lieber 
(Sfftatifd)  faut  nad)  aflen  @eiten  be^nt 


(Soetfjes  (5cbid?te.  63 

llnb,  olme  baft  bie  ^ecfyer  auf  i^ti  fyb'ren, 

9J2it  ($eifte$flng  fid)  in  bie  §o^e  fd)ft>ingt, 

llnb  t>on  bem  £anj  ber  f)immelljol)en  ©pfyaren  75 

(gin  monotone$  Sieb  mit  grower  ^nbrunft  fingt? 

£)od)  fdjeinet  alien  ettoaS  ^u  gebrec^en. 
-3c^  fyore  fie  anf  etnmal  leife  fprerfjen, 

3iingling«  9?n^e  nic^t  $u  nnterbredjen, 

bort  am  (5nbe,  tuo  baS  Xl)al  fic^  fdjlteftt,  so 

-^ti  einer  §iitte,  (eicljt  gegimmert, 
33or  ber  ein  letter  ^Slttf  be6  Heinen  geuer^  fdjimmert, 

SBafferfatt  nmraufdjt,  beS  mitben  @d)IafS  geniegt. 

treibt  ba$  §er3,  nad)  jener  ^(nft  311  tuanbern, 
fc^leid)e  ftilt  nnb  fdjeibe  tion  ben  anbern.  85 


(Set  mir  gegritgt,  ber  fyter  in  fpa'ter 

®eban!ent>oll  an  biefer  @d)tneUe  tuac^t! 

2Ba§  fii^eft  bn  entfernt  tion  jenen  grenben? 

1)u  fd^einft  mir  anf  mas  SidjtigeS  bebad)t. 

SBaS  iffs,  baft  bn  in  ©innen  bic^  berltereft  90 

llnb  nidjt  einmal  bein  lleineS  gener  fd)iireft? 

,,Or  frage  ni^t!  benn  tc^  bin  nicfyt  bereit, 

r^tnben  92eugier  leidjt  gn  ftillen; 

Derbitt'  id)  beinen  guten  3Killen; 
§ier  ift  ^n  fdjtueigen  nnb  ^n  leiben  ,geit.  95 

-3^  bin  bir  nidjt  im  ftanbe  felbft  $n  fagen, 
$Bo^er  id)  fei,  toer  mid)  ^ier^er  gefanbt  ; 
S3on  fremben  gvntn  bin  i^  fyer  berfdjlagen 
llnb  bnr^  bie  grennbfdjaft  feftgebannt. 


64  (Soctfyes  (5cbid?tc. 


ioo    Ser  lennt  fid)  felbft?  tt>er  ttetj},  tt>a$  er  Dermag? 
§at  nie  ber  9ftutige  23ertt)egne8  unternommen? 
Unb  tt>a$  bu  tfyuft,  fagt  erft  ber  anbre  £ag, 
2Bar  e§  gum  @d)aben  obcr  grommen. 
Sieg  nid)t  ^rometfyeuS  felbft  bie  rente  ghnmelsglut 
105    5luf  frifdjen  Xljon  Dergotternb  utebcrflicgcn? 
Unb  fonnf  er  mefyr  at^  irbtfd)  ^3Iut 

bie  betebten  5lbern  gtegeu? 
bradjte  reined  geuer  t>om  5lttar; 
id)  ent^imbet,  ift  ntd)t  reme  gtamrne. 
@turm  tiermefyrt  bie  ©lut  unb  bie  ®efaf)r, 
fc^toanfe  nid)t,  inbem  id)  mi(^  t»erbamme. 


Unb  irenn  id)  untlug  9D^ut  unb  grei()eit  fang 
Unb  9?eblid)feit  unb  grei^eit  fonber 
<Sto(g  auf  fid)  felbft  nub  l)eqlidje$ 
"5    (5rtt>arb  id)  tnir  ber  S^eufdjen  fdjtine  @uuft  : 
ad)  I  ein  ®ott  Derfagte  mir  bie  $unft, 
arme  ^unft,  mid)  limftlid)  gu  betrageu. 
fi£'  id)  l)ier  gugleid)  erljoben  unb  gebriirft, 
Unfdjulbig  unb  geftraft,  unb  fdjulbig  unb  begliic!t. 


120    £)od)  rebe  fac^t!  benn  unter  biefem 

9?u^t  all  mein  2Bol)l  unb  all  mein  Ungemac^: 
(Sin  ebleS  gerj,  nom  28ege  ber  9?atur 
!Durd)  enge^  (Sc^itffal  abgeleitet, 
£)a$,  al)nung^t»oll,  nun  auf  ber  recfyten  (Spur 

125    ^3alb  mit  fid)  felbft  unb  balb  mit  3au^eiWa^e^  ftreitet 
Unb,  ma^  ifym  ba^  ©efc^id  burc^  bie  ©eburt  gefc^enft, 
Wlitff  unb  (£d)tt)ei|  erft  311  erringen  benlt. 
liebetiolle^  SKort  faun  feinen  ©eift  entl)itllen 
Unb  fein  ©efang  bie  fyofyen  SKogen  ftillen. 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte.  65 


SSer  fann  ber  9?anpe,  bie  am  3^ei9e  frtedjt,  130 

23on  ifyrem  limffgen  gutter  fprecfyen? 

llnb  toer  ber  ^itppe,  bie  am  33oben  liegt, 

3)te  garte  @djale  fyelfen  bnrd)$ubred)en? 

@8  fommt  bie  $eit,  fie  bra'ngt  fid)  felber  loS 

Unb  eilt  auf  gtttigen  ber  9tofe  in  ben  @d)ojs.  135 


'g,  ifym  geben  and)  bie 
£)te  red)te  9?ic^tnng  feiner 

ift  bei  ttefer  9ieigung  fitr  ba^ 

eine  Seibenfc^aft. 

lotft  ifyn  in  bie  $3eite,  140 

ift  i()m  gu  fdjroff,  fein  @teg  311  f  dmwl  ; 
r  llnfad  (auert  an  ber  (Seite 
Unb  ftiir^t  ifyn  in  ben  5lrm  ber  Qnal 
®ann  treibt  bie  f^mer^lid)  itberfpannte  ^Regung 
©enjaltfam  i^n  balb  ba,  balb  bort  ^inan§,  145 

Unb  con  nnmntiger 
9?nl)t  er  nnmntig  tuieber  a 
Unb  bitfter  tnilb  an  ^eitern 
Unba'nbig,  ol)ne  fro^  jn  fein, 

(Sdjltift  er,  an  @eel'  unb  Seib  DeriDnnbet  nnb  jerfd^lagen,  150 
2lnf  etncm  ^arten  Sager  ein: 
-Snbeffen  id)  ()ier,  ftid  nnb  atmenb  lanm, 
!Die  5lngen  ^n  ben  freien  ©temen  fe^re 
Unb,  fyafb  ertnacf)t  nnb  I)a(b  im  fcfyineren  ^ranm, 

lanm  be^  fcfytueren  Xranm§  enue^re."  155 


,  Xranm! 

5Bie  banfid),  OJ^nfen,  end)! 
i^r  mid)  fyent  anf  einen  ^Pfab  geftellet, 
So  anf  ein  ein^tg  Sort  bie  gan^e  ©egenb  gleic^ 
3nm  ft^b'nften  Xage  fid)  er^ellet; 


66  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

160    £)te  Solfe  fliefjt,  ber  9?ebe(  fciflt, 

£)ie  fatten  finb  (jinmeg.  -Sfyr  ©otter,  ^reis  nnb  2Bonne  ! 

@3  (endE)tet  mir  bie  roafyre  @onne, 

($3  (ebt  mtr  eine  fcfjonre  2Be(t; 

£)a3  angftUc^e  ©efic^t  ift  in  bte  Suft  ^erronnen, 
165    (5in  neite^  ^eben  iff  0,  e$  ift  fdjon  tang  begonnen. 

-3$  fe^e  ^ier,  h)ie  man  narf)  (anger  D^eife 

3m  5Bater(anb  fid)  nrieber  fennt, 

©n  ru^ig  33ol!  im  fttHen  Slei^e 

^Benu^en,  tt)a$  97atur  an  ©aben  i!)m  gegb'nnt. 
170    £)er  gaben  eilet  tton  bem  9totfen 

!Dcd  Seber^  rafcfyem  @tnt)Ie  jn; 

Unb  <Sei(  unb  $itbel  tt)irb  in  Idngrer  9?nl) 

9lic^t  am  Derbrocf)nen  @c^ad)te  ftorfen; 

(5^  tt)trb  ber  Xrng  entbetft,  bie  Drbnnng  lel)rt  jnritcf, 
175    <SS  folgt  ©ebei^n  nnb  fefteS  irb'fdje^  ©Utcf. 

(So  mog',  o  gitrft,  ber  SBinlel  betne^  8anbe3 
(5in  ^orbitb  beiner  Xage  fein! 
£)u  fenneft  lang  bie  ^flidjten  beine^  <Stanbe§ 
Unb  fd)ran!eft  nacf)  nnb  nac^  bie  freie  <SeeIe  ein. 
180    X)er  !ann  fid)  mandjen  Sunfd)  getualjren, 
fait  fief)  fetbft  nnb  feinem  S&ttten  (ebt; 
mer  anbre  tt)o()(  jn  (eiten  ftrebt, 
ftifyig  fein,  t»ie(  gn  entbe^ren. 


@o  manb(e  bn  —  ber  £of)n  ift  nic^t  gering  — 
185    <iftid)t  fd)Wan!enb  ^in,  tuie  jener  (Samann  ging, 
ba(b  ein  $orn,  be^  3nfa(I^  (eid)te^  @pie(, 
anf  ben  SBeg,  bort  stuifd)en  X)ornen  fte(  ; 


67 


ftreue  fhtg  tote  reid),  mit  mannlid)  [teter  §anb, 
$)en  @egen  an$  cwf  etn  geadert  8anb  ; 
•£)ann  (a£  e3  rulm:  bie  (Srnte  ttrirb  erfdjeinen  190 

llnb  bid;  beglurfen  unb  bte  X)emen. 


56. 

T)er  O^orgen  !am  ;  e^  fdjeitc^ten  fetne  Xrttte 
£)en  letfen  @cf)lafr  ber  mid)  gelinb  utnftng, 
id),  ertua^t,  cms  meiner  ftiKen  §ittte 
^3erg  ^inauf  mit  frifc^er  ^ee(e  ging; 
[rente  mic^  bei  einem  jeben  (Sc^ritte  5 

neuen  ^Blume,  bie  tjott  2:ropfen  tying  ; 
£)er  jun^e  2:ag  ertyob  [id)  mit  (Snt^utfen, 
Unb  af(e$  war  erqnicft,  micty  ju  erquirfen. 

llnb  wie  icty  ftieg,  £og  toon  bem  g(n§  ber  2Biefen 
(iin  9^ebel  [id)  in  ^treifen  [actyt  tyeruor.  10 

@r  inicty  nnb  tr>ecty[elte  mid)  jn  nmffiefsen, 
llnb  iDitd)^  gepitgett  mir  um$  §aupt  empor: 

fctyonen  33(id3  fottf  icty  nid)t  metyr  genie^en, 

©egenb  becfte  mir  ein  tritber  g(or; 
faty  id)  mi^  t)on  Sollen  tt)ie  nmgof[en  15 

llnb  mit  mir  [etbft  in  ^Dammrung  einge[cty(of[en. 


einmal  [d)ien  bte  ®onne  bnrd)snbringenr 
-3m  9?ebel  tiej  [icty  eine  ^lartyeit  [etyn, 
§ier  [an!  er  (ei[e  [id)  tyinab3n[d)tt)ingen  ; 
§ier  tettf  er  [tetgenb  [id)  nm  5Ba(b  nnb  §d()n. 
Sie  fyofff  id)  il)r  ben  erften  ©rn§  gu  brtngen! 
@ie  Ijofff  id)  nad)  ber  ^ritbe  boppett  [djon. 


68  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

£)er  luft'ge  $ampf  toar  lange  nidjt  fcoflenbet, 
(Sin  ©tang  umgab  mid),  unb  id)  ftanb  gebtenbet 

25         23alb  mad)te  midj,  bie  2lugen  auf^ufdjlagen, 
(Sin  innrer  £rieb  be$  ger^enS  imeber  liifyn, 
3d)  fpnnf  e$  nur  mit  fdjnellen  33(tcfen  lr>agenr 
£)enn  afle^  fc^ien  ju  brennen  unb  gn  gliiljn. 
!iDa  fc^tDebte  mit  ben  28ol!en  ^ergetragen 
30         (5in  gottlic^  Seib  t)or  meinen  2higen  l)inr 

fd)oner  ^Bilb  fat)  id)  in  nteinem  Seben, 
fa^  mid)  an  nnb  btteb  Denneitenb  fd)tneben. 


^ennft  bit  mid)  nid)t?  fprac^  fie  mit  einem 
!Dem  ader  Sieb'  unb  Xreue  Zon  entflo^  : 

35         (Srtennft  bu  mid),  bie  id)  in  mandje  ^Bunbe 
QeZ  £eben3  bir  ben  reinftcn  ^Balfam  gojj? 
1)u  fennft  mid)  tuol)l,  an  bie  gu  ettj'gem  ^3unbe 
£)ein  ftrebenb  ©erg  fid)  feft  unb  fcfter  fdjlojj. 
@al)  id)  btc^  nic^t  mit  ()ei^en  §ei^en§tl)ranen 

40         2US  ^nabe  fd)on  nad)  mir  bid)  etfrig  fe^nen? 

3a  !  rief  icf)  au^,  inbem  id)  feltg  nieber 
3ur  (Srbe  fan!,  tang  l)ab'  id)  bid)  gefitfylt  ; 
^Du  gabft  mir  9?ul),  luenn  burd)  bie  jungen  ©lieber 
X)ie  Seibenfdjaft  fid)  raftto^  burcfygettritytt  ; 
45         $)u  l)aft  mir  nne  mit  l)immlifd)em  ©efieber 
2lm  ^eigen  Xag  bie  @tirne  fanft  gefitl)(t; 
!Du  fd)en!teft  mir  ber  (grbe  befte  ©aben, 
llnb  jebeS  ©Ut(f  luiK  ic^  burd)  bid)  nur  fyaben! 


nenn'  id)  nid)t.   3^a 
50         ©ar  oft  genannt,  unb  jeber  ()eigt  bid)  fein, 
(5in  jebe^  5luge  gtaubt  auf  bid)  gu  ^ielen, 
gaft  jebem  5(uge  inirb  bein  @tral)f  gur  ^|3ei 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte.  69 

2Id),  ba  id)  irrte,  fyatt'  id)  Die!  ©efpieten, 

£)a  id)  bid)  lenne,  bin  id)  faft  allein  ; 

$d)  mug  mem  ®Iu<f  nur  mit  mir  felbft  geniegen,     55 

£)ein  fyotbeS  £id)t  berbetfen  unb  Derfdjlie'jjen. 


@ie  ladjelte,  fie  fprad)  :   £>u  fiefyft,  trie  Hug, 
SBie  notig  tuar%  end)  tuenig  311  enttyiitten! 
^aum  bift  bu  fidjer  tior  bem  grobften  Xrug, 
$aum  bift  bu  §err  t»om  erften  ^inbertoiflen,  60 

@o  glaubft  bu  bid)  fd)cm  Ubermeufd)  genug, 
SBerfaumft  bie  'pfltdjt  be§  aj^anne«  gu  erfutlen! 
SBie  ftiel  bift  bu  Don  cmberu  unterfd)iebeu? 
(Srfenne  bid),  leb'  mit  ber  3Be(t  in  grieben  ! 

33er  jeit)  'mir,  rief  ic^  au^,  id)  meint'  e$  gut  ;  65 

@olt  id)  umfonft  bie  3(ugen  off  en  fyaben? 

^in  fro^cr  3Bille  lebt  in  meinem  33lut, 

^d)  fenne  gang  ben  2Bert  t)on  beinen  ©aben! 

Sitr  anbre  lDad)ft  in  mir  ba$  eble  ©ut, 

Qdj  !ann  unb  nn'll  ba^  ^3funb  nid)t  me()r  -tiergraben  !  70 

Sarum  fuc^f  id)  ben  SSeg  fo  fefytfudftsoott, 

Senn  id)  il)n  nid)t  ben  -^riibern  geigen  foil? 


Unb  one  ic^  fprad),  fal)  mid)  baS  ^o^e  S[Befen 

Wit  einem  9$iid  mitleib'ger  9iad)fid)t  an; 

-3d)  lonnte  mid)  in  i()rem  5luge  (efen,  75 

2Ba§  id)  Derfefylt  unb  tx»a§  id)  rec^t  getfyan. 

@ie  (adjelte,  ba  tt)ar  id)  fd)on  genefen, 

3u  neuen  greuben  ftteg  mein  ®eift  ^eran^ 

3d)  fonnte  nun  mit  innigem  $ertrauen 

u  i^r  na()n  unb  ifyre  ^al)e  fd)auen.  so 


70  (Soetfjes  (Sebid?tc. 

Tta  retfte  fie  Me  §anb  au3  in  bie  ©treifen 
£)er  (eid)ten  2Bol!en  itnb  be§  £)uft$  wnfyer; 
2Bte  fie  ifyn  fajfte,  lief;  er  fid)  ergreifen, 
@r  lie§  fid)  jiefjn,  e$  ttwr  lein  ^ebel  tnefyr. 
85         Sftein  5luge  lonnf  im  XI)  ale  tnieber  fc^tueifen, 
©en  §imme(  bticff  ic^,  er  mar  fyefl  unb  ^e^v. 
fa^  id)  fie  ben  reinften  @d)Ieier  fatten, 
r  flo§  um  fie  unb  fd)tt)o(f  in  taufenb  galten. 


-3d)  fenne  bic^,  ic^  !enne  betne 
90         3^)  iwei§,  toa$  @nte^  in  bir  lebt  nnb  gtimmt  ! 
-  @o  fagte  fie,  id)  l)dr;  fie  eang  fprec^en,  — 

^ier,  ttw$  id)  bir  lang7  beftimmt! 
©litcflic^en  lann  e^  an  nid)t§  gebredjen, 
!Der  bie^  ©efc^enl  mit  ftifler  @eele  nintmt  : 
95         2(n3  9)?orgenbuft  getDebt  unb  @onnenf(arf)eit, 

x  au^  ber     anb  ber 


Unb  toenn  e^  bir  unb  beinen  greunben  fc^tt)it(e 
5(m  9)itttag  ictrb,  fo  mirf  i^n  in  bie  8uft! 
©og(etd)  untfdufett  5lbenbtt)inbe§  ^U^te, 
ilmf)aud)t  end)  ^3(umen'3Siir5geruc^  unb  £mft. 
(5^  fd)tneigt  ba«  ^Be^en  banger  @rbgefitf)(e, 
^utn  SBolfenbette  tuanbelt  fid)  bie  ®ruft, 
^Befdnftiget  tr»irb  jebe  ^eben^tuelle, 

iag  iDtrb  lieb(id),  unb  bie  9^ad)t  tt»irb  fyette. 


105       (So  !ommt  benn,  greunbe,  n?enn  auf  euren  3Begen 
£)e$  8eben^  ^Bitrbe  f^trer  unb  fcfytoerer  brittft, 
SKenn  eure  ^Sa^n  ein  frifdjenteuter  @egen 

tinmen  jiert,  mit  golbnen  gritdjten  fdjntittft, 


(Soetfjes  (Sebid?te.  71 

gefyn  tiereint  bem  nacfyften  £ag  entgegen! 
@o  leben  an'r,  fo  toanbeln  nnr  beglitrft.  no 

Unb  bann  and)  foil,  ftenn  @n!el  urn  nn$  trauern, 
3n  ifyrer  £nft  nocfy  unfre  ^tebe  bauern. 


57. 

bit  ba^  Sanb,  too  bie  ©tronen 
bunletn  Saub  bie  ©otb^Drangen 
(Sin  fcmfter  3Kinb  t»otn  btauen  §immel 
X)ie  3)^rtc  [till  nnb  tjoc^  ber  Sorbccr  fteljt, 
tennft  bu  e§  »ol)I? 

£)al)in  !    ®al)tn 
'  id)  tnit  bir,  o  mein  ©e(iebter,  gi 


tennft  bit  ba§  ©au^?  2Utf  @ait(en  rit()t  fein 
(S3  glangt  ber  @aa(,  e^  fdjimmert  ba§  ©emad), 
Unb  S^armorbilber  ftetjn  nnb  fe^n  mic^  an  : 
2Ba$  ^at  man  birr  bn  arme^  ^inb,  get^an  ? 
tennft  bn  e§  too^t? 

£)al)in  !    !l)a^in 
tc^  mit  btrr  o  mein  ©eliebter,  ^i 


^ennft  bn  ben  ^3erg  nnb  feinen  Solfenfteg  ? 

3^a^  SHanltier  fnd)t  im  92ebe(  feinen  3Beg  ; 

-3n  §o^(en  tootjnt  ber  £)rad)en  a(te  ^Brnt  ;  15 

(£$  (titr^t  ber  gel^  nnb  itber  il)n  bie  glut. 

^ennft  bn  ifm  tooljl? 

!l)af)in  !    £)al)in 
nnfer  Seg  !  o 


72  (Soetfyes  <8ebtd?te. 

58.    Diefelfre. 

§etJ3  mid)  nidjt  reben,  fyeig  mid)  fdjmetgen, 
£)enn  mem  ©efyeimni$  ift  mir  ^flidjt  ; 
3d)  modjte  bir  mem  gan^eS  -Stture  getgen, 
Slllein  ba«  ©cidal  tt)t((  e 


5          3ur  rcd^ten  3e^  ftcrtrctbt  ber 

£)ie  finftrc  S3^acf)t,  unb  fie  mug  fidj  cr^cllcn  ; 
!^er  ^arte  gets  fd^Itegt  fetnen  ^Sufen  cwf, 
9Kt§gc5nnt  ber  ^rbe  nic^t  bie  ttcfftcrborgncn  Quetten. 


(gin  jeber  fudjt  tm  5trm  be«  greunbe^ 
10         !Dort  !ann  bie  23ruft  in  ^lagen  fic§  ergiegen  ; 
TOcin  etn  (S^mur  britcft  mtr  bie  £ippen  p, 
Unb  nur  ein  ©ott  Dermag  fie  aufjufrfjtiegen. 


59.    Diefelbc. 

mer  bie  ®el)nfud)t  lennt, 

?a§  id)  (eibe ! 
5lUein  unb  abgetrennt 
33on  atter  greube, 

ic^  an«  girmament 
jener  ®eite. 

ber  mic^  liebt  nnb  lennt, 
3ft  in  ber  Scttc. 
S^  fc^iDinbelt  mir,  e^  brennt 
10  9)^ein  (5ingeit)eibe. 

r  bie  @e^nfud)t  lennt, 
ifc,  it)a«  id)  (eibe ! 


(5oetf?es  <5ebid?tc.  73 

6O.    Dem  Ucfermann. 

glad)  beberfet  unb  Ieid)t  ben  golbenen  @amen  bte  gttrcfje, 
©uteri  bte  tiefere  bedt  enbltd)  bein  rufyenb  ©ebein. 

grofylidj  geppgt  unb  geftit!  §ter  letmet  (ebenbtge  ^afyrung, 
llnb  bte  §offnitng  entfernt  felbft  t)on  bem  ©robe  firf)  ntcfyt. 


61.    t>crfc^ie&ene  <Emj>ftn&un^en  an  einem 

Das  ITlabd^cn. 

3d)  fyab'  t^n  gefe^en! 
tft  mtr 


(Sr  lommt  mtr  entgegen  ; 


fd)tt>anfe 

trre,  id)  tra'ume  !^ 

gctfcn,  tt)r  33aume, 
35erbergt  metne  greube, 
SSerberget  metn  ©Utcf  !  10 

Dcr  Bungling. 

§ter  mu§  tc^  fie  finben! 
3d)  fa^  fie  tierfditntnben, 
3fyv  folgte  mem  ^Btttl. 
lam  mtr  entgegen, 

trat  fie  fcerlegen  15 

Unb  fd)amrot  guritd 

§offnnng?  finb7^  Xraume? 


mtr  bie  Siebfte, 
(gntbetft  mir  mein  ©litcf! 


74  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

Z>  e  r  Sdjntacfjtenbc. 

©ier  flag'  id)  fcerborgen 
£)em  tauenben  !3ftorgen 
Sftein  einfam  ©efdjid 
23erfannt  Don  ber  9J?enge, 
25  2Bie  ^ie^  id)  in^  (Snge 

3ffid)  ftt«e  guritd  ! 
O  gartlic^e  @eeler 


ettngen  Seiben, 
30  ^ert)et)Ie  betn  .©litcf! 


Pe 

lo^net  tntd)  l)eute 
boppetter 
(gin  guteS 
jDer  rebtid^e  Wiener 

35  ^Bringt  §afen  itnb  §itl)ner 

4Be(oben  gurucf. 
©ier  finb'  id)  gefangen 
2htd)  ^oge(  nod)  fyangen! 
(S«  lebe  ber 

40  <£*  lebe  fein 


62.    (Erfter  Perluft, 

2ld),  mer  bringt  bie  fd)b'nen 
3ene  £age  ber  erften  i^tebe, 
5ld),  toer  bringt  nur  eine  @tnnbe 
Setter  Ijoiben 


(Soetfjes  (Sebtcfyte.  75 

(Sinfam  nd'tyr*  id)  meine  2Bunbe,  5 

llnb  mit  ftets  erneuter  $lage 
£raur'  id)  urns  toerfonte  ©litd 

$dj,  mer  bringt  tie  fc^onen  Xage, 


63.    (Benialifcij  €reiben» 

@o  tualg'  id)  otjne  Unterlag, 
Sic  @onft  ^5iogene§,  mein  gag. 
tft  e§  graft,  ba(b  ift  e 
ift  e^  2ieb;,  balb  tft  e* 
ift  e§  bie^,  balb  ift  e§  ba^ ; 
ift  em  ^td)t^  unb  ift  em  S35a«. 
it»d't^  id)  oljne  Unterlag, 

,  mein  gag. 


64.    Ztn   ben  3ev?o$  ^iarl 

SR  o  m,  ben  28.  Stuguft  1787. 

X)u  forgeft  freunblic^  mir  ben 
Wit  Siebling^blmnen  jn  beftreun. 
@tttt  tl)atig  banle  bir  mein  ^eben 
giir  atteg  ®utc,  wa«  bn  mir  erjeigft. 
gitgft  bu  ba^u  bie  (gorge  fur  bic^  felbft, 
@o  ge^  ic^  o^ne  Siinfcfye  frb^ic^  I)in. 

nur  gemeinfam  2Bof)l  begtittft  ^Serbunbenc. 


76  (5oetfyes  (Sebicfyte. 

65.    Hmov  aU  Cat^fcijaftemaler. 

id)  fritl)  auf  enter  gelfenfjri^e, 
mit  ftarren  2lugen  in  ben  9?ebel  ; 
ein  gran  gmnbierte$  £ttd)  getyannet, 
er  atteS  in  Me  Sreit  •  unb     oe. 


@teltt'  ein  ^nabe  ftt^  mtr  an  bie 

Sieber  grennb,  tt)ie  magft  bu  ftarrenb 
§  (eere  %nd)  getaffen  fcljauen? 
§aft  bn  benn  gum  !3)Men  unb  gum  33itben 
i((e  Suft  auf  etoig  tt)ol)l  tjerloren? 


^  an  ba$  ^inb  unb  bad)te 
2BtH  ba6  ^Bubct)en  bod)  ben  Sftetfter  madjen 


Stllft  bu  immer  triib  unb  tnitgig,  bteiben, 

ber  ^nabe,  lann  nicfyts  f  tuge^  tnerben 
,  id)  toil!  bir  gteid)  ein  33ilbd)en  malen, 
15  jDtd)  ein  fyiibfdjeS  ^Bitbdjen  maten  (e^ren. 


Unb  er  ridjtete  ben 

fo  rb'tlid)  ti)ar  H)te  eine  SRofe, 
bent  tuetten  au^gefpannten 
ging  ntit  feinent  finger  an  gu  geid^nen: 

Oben  ntalf  er  eine  fd)b'ne  ©onne, 
£)ie  ntir  in  bie  5Iugen  ma'cfytig  glangte, 
Unb  ben  @aunt  ber  SBoIlen  ntad^t'  er  go(benr 
bie  (Stra^en  burd)  bie  SBotten  bringen  ; 

bann  bie  jarten,  (etd)ten  SBipfet 
25  gnfd)  erqui(fter  Canute,  gog  bie  §iigef, 

Sinen  nad)  bent  anbern,  fret  bafyinter  ; 


77 


Unten  (teg  er'3  nid)t  an  SBaffcr  fefyfen, 
>Jetdmete  ben  glujs  fo  gang  natitrlid), 

er  fc^ien  im  @onnenftral)(  gu 

er  fdjien  am  fyofyen  3ftanb  gu  raufdjen.          30 


$cf),  ba  ftanben  ^3(umen  an  bem  gluffe, 
llnb  ba  toaren  garben  auf  ber  Stefe, 
©olb  nnb  @c^me(3  unb  ^nrpur  imb  ein 

tt)ie  €>maracjb  unb  tote  ^arfnnfel! 

nnb  rein  fafierf  er  brauf  ben  ^mnntel          35 
Unb  bte  Manen  ^3ercje  fern  nnb  ferner, 

Jd),  gan^  entgitcft  unb  neu  geboren, 

ben  ^aler,  balb  ba3*33tlb  bef^autc. 


r  id)  bod),  fo  fagf  er,  btr  bewtefen, 
id)  biefe^  §anbiDer!  gut  t>erftel)e  ;  40 

e8  ift  ba^  ©c^tDerfle  nod)  guriicfc. 


3etd)nete  barnad)  ntit  fpi^ent  ginger 

Unb  ntit  grower  (Sorgfalt  an  bem  Salbdjen, 

©rab  an^  (Snbe,  IDO  bie  Sonne  Iraftig 

$on  bem  ^eden  53oben  tvtbergtangte,  45 

3eidmete  ba^  a(Ier(tebfte  3^ab(^en, 

2Bofyfgebilbet,  gierlid)  ange!(eibet, 

grifdje  SKangen  unter  braunen  §aaren, 

Unb  bie  SSangen  maren  Don  ber  garbe 

ba^  gtngerc^en,  ba§  fie  gebilbet.  50 

bu  ^nabe  !  rief  id),  \Qtl§  ein  3Jleifter 
in  feine  <Sd)u(e  bid)  genommen, 
bu  fo  gefdjttrinb  unb  fo  natiirlic^ 
ting  beginnft  unb  gut  ttollenbeft? 


78  (Soettjes  (5ebtd?te. 

55  Da  id)  nod)  fo  rebe,  fiel),  ba  rttljret 

@id)  em  2Binbd)en  unb  betnegt  bie  ®ipfet, 
tranfett  atte  Setfen  auf  bent  gluffe, 
gitflt  ben  @d)(eier  be§  fcottfommnen 
llnb,  ma$  mid)  (Srftaunten  tnefyr  crftaunte, 
60  ga'ngt  ba§  TObdjen  an,  ben  gng  gn  riUjren, 

lommen,  na'^ert  fid)  bem  £)rter 
ic^  mit  bent  lofen  Seljrer  fi^e. 

nnn  alfe$,  atte^  fid)  beroegte, 

,  g(n§  nnb  tinmen  nnb  ber  @d)(eier 
65  Unb  ber  gartc  gng  ber  ^llerf^bnften, 

©tanbt  iljr  tt)o()lr  id)  fei  anf  tnetnem  getfen 
ein  gelfen  ftitt  nnb  fcft  gebiieben? 


66. 

Die  (SUidjgiiltigen. 

mit,  o  ©c^one,  lomm  mit  mir  ^nm 
gel^bret  jnm  fefttid)en  £ag. 
bn  mein  @dja^  nidjt,  fo  fannft  bn  e§  toerben, 
3Birft  bn  eg  nintmer,  fo  tanjen  tvir  boc^. 

mit,  o  (Scfyone,  !omm  mit  mir  gum  Xanje ; 
Derfjerrlicfyt  ben  feftlic^en  Xag. 

I>  i  c  g  a  r  1 1  i  d?  c  n. 

O)tte  bic^,  gicbftc,  h?a^  maren  bie  gcftc  ? 

D^ne  bid),  ©itfee,  h)a^  mare  ber  £an$  ? 

SBarft  bn  mein  @d)a^  nid)t,  fo  mod)t7  id)  nidjt  tangen, 

^3(eibft  bn  e^  immer,  ift  Seben  ein  geft. 

Dfyne  bic^,  Siebfte,  tt)a«  maren  bie  gefte  ? 

Dl)ne  bid),  ©tijse,  ma^  mare  ber 


(Soet^es  (5ebid?tc.  79 

Die  (Sletcfygiilttgen. 

Sag  fie  nur  lieben,  nnb  lag  bit  nn§  tan^en  ! 
@d)mad)tenbe  Siebe  fcermeibet  ben  £an$. 
@d)lingen  nnr  frofyltd)  ben  bretyenben  SReifyen,  i5 

©cfjleidjen  bie  anbern  pm  banvmernben  3SaIb. 
Sag  fie  nur  tieben,  nnb  lag  bu  un$  tanjen  ! 
@d[)mad)tenbe  Siebe  tiennetbet  ben 


Die  gcirtltdjen. 

Sag  fie  fid)  bretjen,  nnb  lag  bn  un^  tvanbeln  ! 
Sanbetn  ber  Siebe  ift  l)immtifd)er  £an$. 
Slmor,  ber  nat)e,  er  ^oret  fie  fpotten, 
$Ra'(^et  fid)  etmnal  nnb  racket  fid)  batb. 
Sag  fie  fid)  bre^en,  nnb  lag  bn  nn3  manbetn  ! 
2Banbeln  ber  Siebe  ift  fyunmlifdjer 


67.    Hn  ^ie  (Entferntc. 


bid)  tierloren? 

bnr  o  ©cfyone,  mir  entflo^n? 
ftingt  in  ben  ojetoofynten  DI)ren 
(gin  jebe$  Sort,  ein  jeber  Xon. 


©o  une  be^  3Kanbrer^  ^3(i(f  am  Sftorcjen 
23ergeben§  in  bie  Sitfte  bringt, 
SBenn,  in  bent  blanen  9?annt  t?erborgen, 
§oc^  itber  t^tn  bte  Serene  fingt  : 


bringet  angftti^  I)in  nnb  ttneber 

gelb  nnb  33nfd)  nnb  Salb  tnein  ^Bticf  ; 
rnfen  alle  nteine  Sieber  ; 
,  lontnt,  ®eliebte,  ntir  jnrittf  ! 


80  (Soctfyes  (Scbidptc. 


68. 


foil  ber  aftenfdj  uerlcmgen? 
3ft  e$  beffer,  rufyig  bleiben  ? 
$lammernb  feft  fid)  an^utjcmgen  ? 
3ft  e£  beffcr,  fid)  311  treiben? 
@olt  er  fid)  ein  §tiu$d)en  baiien? 
<Sol(  er  untcr  3eto  (eben? 
(Soil  er  auf  bie  getfen  traucn? 
@clbft  bie  feften  gelfen  beben. 


frfjicft  fid)  nid)t  fitr  attc! 
@e()e  jeber,  tute  er'^  trcibc, 
(Sefye  jeber,  luo  er  bleibe, 
Unb  tt>cr  fte^t,  bag  er  nid)t  falle  ! 


O9.    (Svinncrung, 

SBillft  bu  immer  wetter  fd)tt)etfen? 
@telj,  ba§  ©utc  licgt  fo  nal). 
Serne  nur  ba^  ®Iucf  ergreifen, 
ift  immer  ba. 


7O. 

f),  get)or^e  metnen  Sinfen, 
beine  jungen  Xage, 
^eitig  Kiiger  fein  : 
Sluf  be^  ®lMe3  grower  SBage 


(Seethes  <Sebtd?te.  81 


bie 

£)n  mnjst  ftetgen  ober  finfen, 
£m  mngt  Ijerrfdjen  unb  getoinnen, 
Ober  bienen  unb  cerlieren, 
£eiben  ober  trinntpfyieren, 
ober  §antnter  fetn. 


71. 


SSenebig  1790. 

2Bie  man  ©elb  unb  3eH  bert^an, 
§  a3ud)retn  lufttg  on. 


1. 

tc^  ba§  ^anb,ben  jammer  bent§errfd)er, 
Unb  bent  SBoIfc  ta«  23fed),  ba^  in  ber  SWittc  fief)  friimmt. 
bem  armen  ^3tec^  !  menn  nnr  wiKfiirlt^e  @d)Iage 
trcffcn,  nnb  nie  fertig  ber  ^cffel  erfdjeint. 


§errfd)er  fid)  ber,  ber  fetnen  3Sortet(  t)erftef)et: 
urn*  tnci^lten  nn^  ben,  ber  fid)  anf  nnfem  t»erfte^t. 


3. 


id)  fie  unmfdje  ;  ba§  l)ei§t,  bitnt't  mid),  mit  it)enigem  oiel. 
bent  SO^eere  gtng  id)  nnb  fnd)te  ntir  9J?nfc^e(n.    Qn  einer 
id)  ein  *$er(d)en  ;  e^  bleibt  nnn  ntir  ant 


4. 

I)ab'  id)  oerfndjt,  ge^eid^net,  in  ®npfer  geftod)en, 
6(  gentalt,  in  Xt)on  l)ab'  id)  and)  mand)e§  gebrnrft, 
ilnbeftiinbig  Jebod),  nnb  nic^t§  gelernt  noc^  geleiftet  ; 


82  (Soetfyes  <5ebtd?te. 

5Rur  em  eingig  talent  brad)f  id)  ber  9fteifterfdjaft  nafj  : 
15  £)eutfd)  311  fdjreiben.   Unb  fo  tierberb'  id)  unglitcfltdjer  £)id)ter 
3n  betn  fdjlecfyteften  @toff  leiber  nun  Seben  unb  $unft 

5. 
$Iein  ift  unter  ben  giirften  ©ermaniend  freiticf)  ber  tneine  ; 

$ui*3  nnb  fdjmat  tft  fein  Sanb,  magig  nnr,  mad  er  Dermag. 
5lber  fo  luenbe  nad)  innen,  fo  toenbe  nad)  au^en  bie  ^rdfte 

°a  wft^  ein  geft,  T)eutfc^er  mtt  T)entfd)en  £U  fein. 
^riefeft  bn  Qfyn,  ben  X()aten  unb  2Berfe  t>er!unben  ? 
Unb  befto^en  erfcfyten  betne  33ere^rung  t)ie((eid)t  ; 
£)enn  mir  ^at  er  gegeben,  tt>a$  ®roge  felten  gelua^ren, 

^etgung,  SJhtjje,  35ertraun,  gelber  unb  ©arten  unb  @au$. 
25  ^temanb  brauc^t'  id)  gu  banlenat^  3I)nt,  unb  mand)e§  beburff  ic^, 
!Der  ic^  mid)  auf  ben  (Srroerb  fd)ted)t,  old  ein  T>ic^ter,  oerftanb. 
§ot  mid)  (Suropa  gelobt,  ma^  ()at  mir  Gmropa  gegeben  ? 

^ic^td  !  3dj  ^obe,  mie  f  djroer  !  meine  ©ebicl)te  bega^lt. 
£)eutfd)Ianb  a^mte  mic^  nac^,  unb  granfreid)  mod)te  mid)  lefen. 
30      (Snglanb  !  freunblic^  empfingft  bu  ben  jerritttcten  ©aft. 
mad  forbert  ed  mid),  bag  and)  fogar  ber  (S^inefe 

mit  angftlid)er  ©anb  ®crt^ent  unb  Gotten  auf  ©tad  ? 
9?iematd  fmg  ein  $aifer  nac^  mir,  ed  fyat  fic^  fein  ^onig 
llm  mid)  befitmmert,  unb  (Sr  mar  mir  5Iuguft  unb  3J?acen. 


35  Grined  9Dlenfd)en  Ceben,  mad  ift'd  ?  !Dod^  Xaufenbe  lonnen 

9?eben  iiber  ben  9^ann,  mad  er  unb  mie  efd  getl)an. 
2Bentger  ift  ein  ®ebid)t  ;  bod)  tb'nnen  ed  Xaufenb  gentegen, 
Xaufenbe  tabeln.    9JJein  greunb,  tebe  nur,  bidjte  nur  fort  ! 

7. 

$lfle  greitjeitdapoftet,  fie  maren  mir  immer  gumiber  ; 
40      StUtur  fud)te  bod)  nur  jeber  am  (Snbe  fur  fid). 


(Soct^cs  <5ebtd?te.  83 

SKtllft  bu  mete  befrein,  fo  mag'  e$,  trielen  311  bienen. 

e  gefcifyrlid)  baS  fet,  roiflft  bu  e$  nriffen?    $erfud)'«  1 


$b'nige  molten  baS  ®ute,  bie  £)emagogen  be$gletd)en, 
@agt  man  ;  bod)  irren  fie  fid)  :  2)?enfd)en,  ad)r  finb  fie,  tt)te  mir. 

9^te  gettngt  e^  ber  sD^enger  fitr  fid)  311  molten  ;  tr»tr  miffen^  :        45 
Doc^,  mer  berfteljet,  fur  un^  atte  ju  moflen,  cr  ^eig^. 

9. 
granlretd^  traurig  ©efd)td,  bie  ©ro^en  mogen'^  bebenlen  ; 

5(ber  bebenlen  fitriua^r  fotten  e^  ^leine  nod)  met)r. 
®ro§e  gingen  ju  ©runbe  :  bod)  tt>er  befc^it^te  bie  sD2enge 

®egen  bie  avenge  ?   ®a  tnar  sD^enge  ber  9}|enge  ^t)rann.        50 

10. 

Xolte  3^iten  l)ab7  id)  ertebt  unb  ^ab'  nic^t  ermangett, 
@elbft  aud)  tt)brid^t  ju  fein,  une  e^  bie  $tit  tnir  gebot. 

11. 

Sange  ()aben  bie  ©rojjen  ber  granjen  ^pradje  gefprodjen, 
§alb  nur  gead)tet  ben  9)2ann,  bem  fie  i)om  SO^unbe  nidjt  ffo^. 
ladt  alte^  $olf  entjitdft  bie  ©prad)e  ber  granfen.  55 

,  9Jtxad)tige,  nid^t  !    2Ba§  i^r  Derlangtet,  gefd)iel)t. 

12. 


60 


2BaY  id)  ein  t)au^lid)e^  2Betb  unb  ^atte,  ma§  ic^  bebitrfte, 
Xreu  fein  tt)o(lf  ic^  unb  frol),  ^er^en  unb  litffen  ben  9ttann. 

(So  fang,  unter  anbern  gemeinen  Siebern,  ein  !Dirnc^en 
Wiv  in  $enebig,  unb  nie  ^brf  id)  ein  frb'mtner  ©ebet. 

13. 

2Bunbern  lann  e^  mid)  nid)t,  bag  90^enfd)en  bie  ©unbe  fo  fieben, 
5E)enn  ein  erba'rmttd)er  @d)uft  ift,  mie  ber  9}ienfc^,  fo  ber  §unb. 


84  (Soetfjes  <5ebtd?te. 

14. 

mtt  mtr  ba§  (Sdjtrffal  geiuoflt  ?   (§8  mare 

1  fragen  ;  benn  meift  \rnil  e3  mit  triefen  nidjt  triet 
65  (Stnen  X)tc^ter  gu  bttben,  bte  5lbfirf)t  tt>aV  iljm  gehmgen, 
§atte  bie  <S))racf)e  fid^  nicfyt  uniibemmbltd)  ge^eigt. 


72. 

gern  t»on  gebilbeten  3J?enfc^en,  am  @nbe  be$  9^eic^e§r  tner  ^t(ft  eud) 

ftnben  itnb  fie  gtucf(id)  brtngen  an§  Sid^t  ? 
SSerftanb  unb  ^ebttc^leit  ^elfen,  e^  fii^ren  bte  betben 
@d)litffel  p  {eglidjem  @cf)afe  tDelc^en  bte  (5rbe 


73.    Die 

5ln  bem  retnften 

©ing  bte  ©djttferte  unb  fang, 

unb  fdjon  unb  o^ne  (Sorgen, 
§  burt^  bte  getber  Hang, 

(So  (a  la!  (e  radal 


bot  t()r  fitr  em  SO^auIc^en 
brei  (Sd)dfc^en  gletcfj  am  Ortr 
ffjaft  bltcfte  fie  ein  SBeildjen  ; 
fie  fang  unb  (adjte  fort, 
10  @o  (a  (al  le  rafla! 

llnb  etn  anbrer  bot  tfyr  Dauber, 
Unb  ber  brttte  bot  fetn  §er^  ; 
!Do^  fie  trieb  mtt  §er$  unb  ^3anbern 
<So  n?te  mit  ben  £a'mmem 
15  9^ur  la  la  !  le  ralfa  1 


(Soetfyes  <Sebtd?te.  85 

74.    Die  Sefet^rte. 

bem  ©lan^e  ber  Stbenbrote 
©ing  id)  [till  ben  SBalb  entfang, 
£)amon  fa£  nnb  bites  bie  glote, 
$a§  e$  Don  ben  gelfen  Hang, 
@o  (a  la!  5 

Unb  er  jog  mid),  ad)  I  an  fid)  nieber, 

$itgte  mid)  fo  ^olb,  fo  fii§. 

llnb  id)  fagte :  ^Blafe  tt)icbcr ! 

Unb  ber  gnte  3unge  blie§, 

<So  (a  (a !  10 

Sfteine  Dfnfje  tft  nnn  bertoren, 
SKeinc  grenbe  f(o^  bat>on, 
Unb  ti^  tjore  Dor  meinen  O^ren 

nnr  ben  alten  Xonr 
la  la,  le  ratta.    n.  f.  tD.  15 


75.    Un  bie 

©anb  in  $anb!  unb  8ipp;  anf 
9ftabd)en,  bleibe  tren ! 
ot)(!  nnb  mand)e 
ga^rt  bein  Stebfter  ,no^ 
$ber  menn  er  einft  ben  ©afen, 
bem  ©tnrme,  nieber  gritgt, 

i^n  bie  ©otter  ftrafen, 
333enn  er  ol)ne  bid)  genie^t. 


86  (Beetles  (5ebtd?tc. 


geiuagt  ift  fcfyon  geinonnen, 
10  §alb  ift  fd)on  mein  28erf  t)oObrad)t! 

Sterne  knd)ten  mir  nne  @onnen, 
bent  Setgen  ift  e$  9?ad)t. 
ic^  rnit^tG  btr  ^ur  (gette, 

nod)  ber  ^nntmer  mid)  ; 
15  5)od)  in  alter  biefer  ^Beite 

irF  ic^  rafd)  nnb  nnr  fitr  bid). 


<Sdjon  ift  mir  ba§  X()a(  gefunben, 
$Bo  iDtr  einft  gufammenge^n 
Unb  ben  @trom  in  3(benbftnnben 
20  ©anft  ^inuntergleiten  fe^n. 

^appefn  auf  ben  2Biefen, 
33udjen  in  bent  §ain! 
,  nnb  fyinter  a((en  biefen 
bod)  and)  ein  §itttd)en  fein! 


76.    HalK  bcs  (Beliebten. 


benfe  bein,  tuenn  ntir  ber  <Sonne  <Sd)immer 

33om  9J?eere  ftra^tt; 
benfe  betn,  luenn  fid)  be$  9Jlonbe^  glimmer 

3n  Qneden  malt. 

le^e  ^i^f  toenn  auf  bent  fernen  3S3ege 

2)er  8tanb  fid)  f)ebt  ; 
tiefer  57ac^tr  luenn  anf  bent  fdmtaten  ©tege 
Sanbrer  bebt. 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte.  87 

fyore  bid),  ttienn  bort  mit  bumpfem  SRcmfdjen 

©tc  2BelIe  fteigt.  10 

ftiden  §atne  ge^  ic^  oft  jn  Icmfd)en, 
SBenn  a(te^  fd)lt)eigt. 


bin  bei  bir,  bit  fetft  aud)  nod)  fo  feme, 

S)u  bift  mir  na^ ! 
@onne  ftnlt,  ba(b  (end)ten  mir  bie  ©ternc.  15 

O,  tt)(irft  bn  ba ! 


77.    21tccrc5   StiUc, 

Xiefe  ©tide  fyerrfdjt  tm  Gaffer, 
O^ne  9vegung  ru^t  ba^  SO^eer, 
Unb  befiimmert  fiel)t  ber  @d)iffer 
©tatte  8*(ad)e  rincjSumljer. 
^eine  8nft  t>on  feiner  @eite! 
Xobe^ftille  f itrdjterlic^ ! 
3n  ber  ungefyeuern 
9?eget  feine  SBette 


78.    <5lttctlid?e 

5E)ie  9^ebe(  ^erreigen, 
^)er  §imme(  ift  fjetle, 
Unb  toto  lofet 
§)a$  dngft(id)e  ^3anb. 
@«  fanfeln  bie  Sinbe, 
(g«  rtt^rt  fid)  ber  ©Differ. 
®efd)tt)inbe !  ®efd)n)inbe  1 
@«  teilt  fi^  bie  SBelte, 
(S^  na^t  fid)  bie  gerne ; 
et)?  id)  ba 


(Soetljes  (Sebtcfyte. 

79.    Uleyis  unb  Dora. 

$d)  I  uuauffjaltfam  ftrebet  bag  <Srf)iff  mit  jebem  9ftomeute 
S)urd)  bie  fcfyaumeube  glut  tueiter  unb  better  fytuaug  I 
Saugfym  furd)t  fid)  bte  ©eleife  beg  ®ielg,  ftoriu  bte  £)elpf)iue 

^priugeub  folgeu,  alg  flol)'  iljueu  bte  33eute  baoou. 
5    2llleg  beutet  auf  glitdttdje  gal)rt :  ber  ritfytge  ^Boot^mann 
am  ^egel  gelittb,  ba§  fid)  fitr  a((e  bemitfyt ; 

bringt  ber  ^tffeubeu  ©eift,  trie  gtaggeuuub  Stmpet; 
Stuer  uur  fte^t  ritcfmartg  traurtg  gemeubet  am  2!ftaft, 

bte  ^3erge  fdjou  blau,  bte  fd)eibeubeur  fie^t  iu  ba§  9[Reer  fie 
9lieberfiu!eu,  e^  fiuft  jegtic^e  greube  Dor  tijm. 

bir  ift  e«  t)erfd)ti)uubeur  bag  @djtff,  ba§  betneu  5llejctg, 
r,  o  !Dora,  beu  greunb,  ac^  !  bir  beu  ^Srautigam  raubt. 
bu  bfttfeft  t)ergebeug  uad)  mtr.    91od)  fd)(agett  bie  v^ergen 

etnonbcr,  bod),  ad) !  nun  au  etuauber  utd)t  meljr. 
15  (Smgiger  2lugeubttrf,  iu  tt)eld)em  id)  lebte !  bu  ttriegeft 
We  Xage,  bie  fouft  fait  mir  uerfdjnnubeubeu,  auf. 
2ld) !  uur  im  9lugettbli(f,  im  le^teu,  ftieg  mir  eiu  Sebeu 
Uutiermutet  iu  bir,  un'e  DOU  beu  ©otteru,  l)erab. 

umfouft  DerHftrft  bu  mit  beiuem  £id)te  beu  St^er  ; 
£)eitt  al(leud)teuber  ^ag,  ^pljobug,  mir  ift  er  Derfyaftt. 
u  mid)  felber  feljr'  ic^  juritct ;  ba  un'll  id)  im  ftilleu 
SBieber^oleu  bie  gtit,  alg  fie  mir  taglid)  erfd)ieu. 

eg  moglid),  bie  ©djb'u^eit  gu  fefytt  uub  uid)t  gu  empfiubeu  ? 
Sffiirlte  ber  ^immlif^e  $Hei^  uid)t  auf  beiu  ftumpfeg  ©emitt  ? 
25  Ullage  bid),  firmer f  uid)t  au !  —  @o  legt  ber  £)id)ter  eiu  D^atfel, 

^Uuftlid)mit^Borteu  fcerfcfyrcmtt,  oft  ber  33erfammluug  iugD^r. 
-3ebeu  freuet  bie  feltue,  ber  ^ierlicfyett  ^Bilber  35erluitpfuug, 
5lber  uod)  fefylet  bag  2Bortr  bag  bie  ^Bebeutuug  tiertt)a^rt. 
3ft  eg  eublid)  eutbecft,  bauu  ^eitcrt  fid)  jebeg  ©emitt  auf 


(Soetfyes  (5ebtd?te.  89 

Unb  erblirft  im  ®ebid)t  boppelt  erfreulidjen  <5inn.  30 

2Idj,  ttwrum  fo  fpat,  o  2lmor,  nafymft  bit  bie  23.inbe, 

£)ie  bit  um$  Slug' mir  gelnityft,nal)mft  fie  gu  fpat  mir  fyinfoeg  f 
£ange  fd)on  fyarrte  befradjtet  ba§  @d)iff  auf  gimftige  gitfte ; 

(Snbltd)  ftrebte  ber  SBtnb  glMlid)  »om  Ufer  tn^  !>D?eer. 
Seere  3^^ten  ber  3^9^^b  1  imb  leere  ^raume  ber  3u^unf^  •          35 

3^r  Derfcfjtumbct,  e$  bletbt  etn^ig  bte  @titnbe  mtr  nur. 
3ar  fie  bleibt,  e$  bleibt  mtr  ba^  ®(ittf !  id)  Ijalte  bic^r  ^Dora  ! 

llnb  bie  §offnitng  ^etgt,  £)ora,  bein  ^Btlb  mtr  altetn. 
Dfter  fa^  t^  gum  3Tempe(  bid)  gefyn,  gefc^mitdt  unb  gefittet, 

Unb  ba$  ^ittterd)en  ging  feierlic^  neben  bir  !)er.  40 

(Silig  inarft  bu  unb  frtfc^,  ju  9ftartte  bie  gritc^te  311  tragen ; 

Unb  t»om  -^3runnen,  tt)ie  fitlm !  tutegte  bein  §aupt  ba$  ©efci^ 
!Da  erfdjien  bein  §a(3,  erfd)ien  bein  ^adfen  tior  alien, 
Unb  tior  alien -erfd)ien  beiner  33ett>egnngen  9J?a§. 

I)ab'  id)  geforgt,  e^  incite  ber  ^rng  bir  entftitqen ;        45 
er  ^ielt  fid)  ftet  anf  bent  geringeften  Xnd). 
c^one  9^ad)barin,  ja,  fo  tnar  id)  getuo^nt  bid)  p  fe^en, 
3Bte  man  bie  @terne  fie^t,  it»ie  man  ben  2D?onb  fic^  befd)ant, 
an  ifynen  erfreut,  nnb  innen  im  rnfyigen  ^Bufen 

ber  entferntefte  Snnfd),  fie  gu  bef%n,  fid)  regt  50 

,  fo  gingt  ifyr  ba^in !    9inr  ^anjtg  ©c^rttte  getrennet 
SBaren  bie  §aufer,  nnb  nie  ^ab;  ic^  bie  @d)tt)e((e  berit^rt. 
Unb  nnn  trennt  nn^  bie  gra§Iid)e  glut !  £)u  (itgft  nur  ben  ©immel, 

bein  ^errlid)e§  23(au  ift  mir  bie  garbe  ber  9?ad)t. 
rit^rte  fic^  fcljon  ;  ba  lam  ein  ®nabe  getaufen  55 

5ln  mein  fca'ter(id)  §au^,  rief  mic^  3um  @tranbe  ^tnab. 
@d)on  er^ebt  fic^  ba$  @egelr  e^  pattert  im  2Btnbe,  fo  fprac^  er, 

Unb  gelid)tet,  mit  ^raft,  trennt  fic^  ber  5lnler  Dom  @anb. 
^omm,  2l(erj$,  o  !omm !    !Da  brMte  ber  matfere  33ater 
Siirbtg  bie  fegnenbe  §anb  mtr  auf  ba$  lodige  ©au)3t ;  60 


90  (Soetfjes  <8cbid?te. 

@orglid)  retc^te  bie  gutter  ein  nadjbereiteteg  33itnbet : 
©lucfftd)  tefyre  guriirf !  riefen  fie,  gtMlid)  unb  retd) ! 
Unb  fo  fprang  id)  fyintteg,  bag  33imbeldjen  unter  bem 
$tn  ber  £0?auer  fyinab,  fanb  an  ber  £pre  bid)  ftefyn 
65  £)eineg  (Sarteng.    £)u  tadjelteft  mir  unb  fagteft : 

@tnb  bie  £armenben  bort  beine  ©efeflen  ber 
grcmbc  ^itften  befnd)eft  bu  nun,  unb  fdftltc^c  SSarcn 
§anbelft  bu  ein  unb  (Scfytnuct  reid)en  SCftatronen  ber 
5lber  bringe  mir  aud)  ein  (eid)te§  ^ett^en;  id)  toil!  eg 
70      1)anfbar  jafylen  :  fo  oft  ^ab'  id)  bie  3ierbe  gett)imfd)t ! 
(Steven  n>ar  ic^  geblieben  unb  fragte,  nad)  Seife  beg  ^aufmanng, 
(Stft  nad)  gorm  unb  @en)id)t  beiner  ^BefteUung  genau. 
befdjeiben  ennogft  bu  ben  'preig ;  ba  blicft'  ii^  inbeffen 

bem  §atfe,  beg  @d)mucfg  unferer  $onigin  tnert. 
75  $ef^9er  to'nte  t)om  @c^iff  bag  ©efc^ret ;  ba  fagteft  bu  freunbtid) : 

9fttnm  aug  bem  ©arten  nod)  einige  gritd)te  mit  btr! 
SWtnmbtc  reifften  Drangen,  bielueiftengetgen;  bag  9Wccr  bringt 

$eine  gritd)te,  fie  bringt  jeglid)eg  Sanb  nic^t  ^ertior. 
Unb  fo  trat  id)  ^erein.  5)u  brac^ft  nun  bie  griid)te  gefc^aftig, 
80      Unb  bie  golbene  Saft  gog  bag  gefcfyitqte  ©ettjanb. 
Ofterg  bat  id) :  eg  fei  nun  genug !  unb  immer  noc^  eine 

@d)b'nere  fynfyt  fiel  bir,  leife  beriifyrt,  in  bie  §anb. 
(•rnblid)  famft  bu  gur  ?aube  fyinan ;  ba  fanb  fid)  ein  $b'rbd)en, 

Unb  bie  30li)rte  bog  bfitfyenb  fid)  itber  ung  fytn. 
85  @c^meigenb  beganneft  bu  nun  gefd)icft  bie  gritd)te  p  orbnen  : 
bie  Orange,  bie  fd)tt>er  ru^t,  a(g  ein  gotbener  ^3a(I, 
bie  ii)eid)(i(^e  geige,  bie  jeber  !Dru(f  fc^on  entftettet ; 
Unb  mit  9D2t)rte  bebectt  tt)arb  unb  ge^iert  bag  ©efd)enf. 
2lber  id)  ^ob  eg  nidjt  auf ;  ic^  ftanb.    2Bir  faljen  einanber 
90      $n  bie  5lugen,  unb  mir  tt»arb  oor  bem  5luge  fo  tritb. 
£)einen  53ufen  fit^tf  id)  an  meinem !    £)en  ^errlic^en  9^acfen, 


(Soetfjes  (5ebtd?te.  91 


I)n  nmfd)tong  nun  mem  ten  ;  tanfenbmal  fitfjf  id)  betf 
fan!  itber  bie  ©coulter  bein  §anpt;  nun  fttityften  and)  beine 
&ieblid)en  2(rme  ba$  33anb  nm  ben  33eglMten  fyernm. 
2lmor$  §anbe  fiiljft'  id)  :  er  britdf  nn$  gemaltig  jufatrnneti,        95 

Unb  an$  fyeiterer  £uft  bonnerf  e$  breimat  ;  ba  po§ 
§anftg  bie  Xfyrane  tiom  5lug'  mtr  ^erab,  bit  toeinteft,  ic^  tDeinte, 
Unb  Dor  ^anuner  nnb  ®(ii(f  fd)ien  un§  bie  Selt  gu  t)erge^n. 
-3nuner  ^efttger  rief  e^  am  <Stranb  ;  ba  moKten  bie  gufce 

Wlify  nid)t  tragen,  ic^  rief  :  !Dora  !  unb  bift  bit  nid)t  metn?      100 
(5tt>ig  !  fagteft  bn  (eife.    £)a  fdjienen  nnfere 
bttrd)  gotttidje  Snft,  leife  tiom  2htge 
rief  e§  :  2UerjS  !   'Da  blitfte  ber  fudjenbe  ^nabe 

bie  £I)itre  ^erein.    Sie  er  ba^  ®orbcf)en  empfing! 
er  mid)  trieb!  2Bieid)bir  bie  §anb  nod)  brMte  !  —  3U  ®d)iffe  105 
2Bie  id)  gefommcn  ?    -3$  ^eifc  bag  ic^  ein  Xrnnlener  fd)ien. 
Unb  fo  l)ie(ten  mid)  aucf)  bie  ©efelien,  fdjonten  ben  $ranten  ; 

Unb  fd)on  betfte  ber  §and)  tritber  (Sntfernnng  bie  @tabt. 
(Sinig  !  Dora,  lifpelteft  bn  ;  mir  ft^allt  eS  im  O^re 

Wlit  bem  Donner  be^  3eu^  '  <Stanb  fie  bod)  neben  bent  £l)ron,  no 
(Seine  Xodjter,  bie  ©dttin  ber  2iebe  ;  bie  (^ra^ten  ftanben 

_3I)r  pr  ^eiten  !  @r  ift  gdtterbe!raftigt,  ber 
O,  fo  eile  benn,  ©c^iff,  mit  aden  gi'mftigen  SBinben 

(Strebe,  mad)tiger  ^ie(,  trenne  bie  fd)a'nmenbe 
fringe  bem  fremben  vf)afen  mid)  gn,  bamit  mir  ber  ©olbfdmtibtns 

Qn  ber  SSerfftatt  gleic^  orbne  ba^  fyimmftfdje  ^3fanb. 
Sat)r(id)  !    3nr  ®ette  foil  bag  ^ettc^en  tocrbcn,  o  Dora  ! 

9^ennmal  nmgebe  fie  bir,  locfer  geinnnben,  ben  §a($  ! 
gerner  fd)affr  id)  nod)  (Sdnnncf,  ben  mannigfattigften  ;  gotbne 

<Spangen  fo((en  bir  anc^  reicfylid)  oeqieren  bie  §anb  :  i20 

Da  tDetteifre  9^nbin  nnb  @maragb,  ber  liebtic^e 
bem  §t)acintl)  fi(^  gegenitber,  nnb  ©olb 


92  (Soetfjes  (Sebtd?tc. 

§atte  bag  (Sbetgeftein  in  fd)b'ner  ^erbinbnng  gnfammen. 
£),  nne  ben  33rantigam  freut,  ein^ig  jn  fd)tnit(fen  bie  33raut  1 
)'  icf)  ^3erlen,  fo  benf  id)  an  bid)  ;  bet  jegticfjem  9?inge 
$ommt  mir  ber  tangtidjen  §anb  fd)b'neg  ©ebitb  in  ben  ©inn. 
£anfcf)en  nritt  id)  nnb  laufen  ;  bn  fottft  bag  ©cfjonfte  Don  aHem 

Sa'fjkn ;  id)  iDibmete  gern  atte  bie  Sabnng  nnr  bir. 
£)od)  nic^t  (Sc^mnd  nnb  3^1^ten  allein  t)erfc^afft  bein  ©etiebter: 

5Ba^  ein  I)tiu3lid)e3  Seib  frenet,  ba§  bringt  er  bir  anc^. 
getne  toottene  X)e(fen  mit  ^urpnrfa'nmen,  ein  Stager 

3u  bereiten,  ba^  nn^  tranlic^  nnb  ii)eid)tid)  empfa'ngt ; 
$tiftUd)er  Seinmanb  ©tiitfe.    !Dn  fil^eft  nnb  na'fyeft  nnb  Keibeft 
nnb  bid)  nnb  and)  tt>ol)l  nod)  ein  britte$  barein. 
ber  ©offnung,  tanfc^et  mein  §erj!    D,  ma'giget,  ©otter, 
^)iefen  geiuattigen  33ranb,  ber  mir  ben  ^Bnfen  burd)tobt ! 
Slber  and)  fie  Derlang'  icf)  jnriitf,  bie  fc^mer^li^e  greube, 
Senn  bie  @orge  fid)  fait,  grti j#id)  getaffen,  mir  na()t. 
9?id)t  ber  (5rinnt)en  gatfel,  ba^  33elten  ber  ^o(Iifd)en  §nnbe 
140     ©cfjrecft  ben  SSerbred)er  fo  in  ber  $eqtt>eif(nng  ©efilb, 
5l(«  ba«  gelafcne  ©efpenft  mid)  fdjrecft,  ba«  bie  ©cfyone  con  fern  mir 

3eiget :  bie  X^itre  fte^t  tt)irf(id)  beg  ®arten$  nod)  anf ! 
llnb  ein  anberer  fommt !    fjttr  it)n  and)  fatten  bie  8ritd)te ! 

Unb  bie  Jeige  geiua'tjrt  ftarfenben  ©onig  ancf)  i^m ! 
145  Socftfie  anc^  itjn  nad)  ber  Sanbe?  nnb  fotgt  er  ?  £),  mac^t  mic^,  i^r 

©otter, 

33tinb,  t?ertt)ifc^et  bag  ^3itb  jeber  ^rinnrnng  in  mir ! 
3a,  ein  2J2abd)en  ift  fie !  unb  bie  fief)  gefdjminbe  bem  einen 
©iebt,  fie  le^ret  fief)  and)  fcfynett  ^n  bem  anbern  fyernm. 
Sac^e  nic^t  biegmat,  3eu^  oer  fre4)  gebrod)enen  @cf)ii)itre ! 
150     £)onnere  fcfjrecf lid)er !  £rtff !  —  §atte  bie  33ti£e  juritrf ! 
@enbe  bie  fcfyttwntenben  Gotten  mir  nacf) !  Qm  ndcf)t(ic^en  ®un!el 
Xreffe  bein  tencfytenber  ^3ti^  biefen  nngtiitf ticfjen  3)iaft ! 


(Soetfjes  (5ebid?te.  93 

@treue  bie  $(cm!en  umfyer  itnb  gieb  ber  tobenben  Selfe 
£)iefe  Saren,  unb  mid)  gteb  ben  £)elpf)inen  gum  ^Raitb  I  — 
,  ifyr  Oftufen,  genug !  $ergeben$  ftrebt  ifyr  gu  fcfyilbern,        155 

fid)  ^turner  unb  ®IM  mec^fetn  in  liebenber  ^Britft. 
§ei(en  fonnet  bte  2Bunben  it)r  nid)t,  bie  2frnor  gefc^Iagen ; 
5lber  Sinberung  fotmnt  etnjig,  i^r  ©uten,  tion  end). 


8O.    Xenten. 

^     Dcr  prophet. 

@d)abe,  ba§  bie  x^atur  nur  e  i  n  e  n  3J?enf^en  ait«  bir  fd^uf, 
®enn  gum  tDitrbigen  50iann  tnar  unb  gum  @d)e(men  ber  ©toff. 

2.     D  e  r  p  u  r  i  ft. 

@innreirf)  bift  bu,  bie  ©pradje  t)on  fremben  portent  gu  faubern  : 
fo  fage  bod),  greunb,  it)ie  man  ^  e  b  a  n  t  un§  t>erbeutfd)t. 

3.    IDcr  glaubt's? 

fyat  fic^  geivrt  ?u    $a,  boppeft  unb  breifad)  !   f/ilnb  tote   5 
benn  ?" 
gauge  ftefyt  e^  gebrutft,  aber  e^  Heft  e3  lein 


<k.     Hnbiepljiltfler. 

greut  euc^  be^  @d)metterling^  nid)t,  ber  ^3ofeim'c^t  geugt 

bie  9?au£e, 
!Die  end)  ben  fyerrftdjen  ®ofy,  faft  au^  ber  @d)Uffe(, 


5. 

ift  ba$  @d)tt)erfte  Don  allem  ?  2Ba§  bir  bae  geic^tefte  bitnfet, 
it  ben  5tugen  gu  fe^n,  toa§  Dor  ben  5Iugen  bir  liegt.  10 

6. 

toarft  bu  bem  (Sbe(n  unb  btiebeft  bod)  ber  Sttberne? 
ifym  ber  @tul)(,  too  er  fag,  aber  er  blieb  nur  ein 


94  (Soet^es  (Sebtd?te. 

81.    Der  d^inefe  in  Horn, 

(Sinen  (Styinefen  faf)  id)  in  9?om ;  bie  gefamten  ©ebaube 

2Hter  unb  ncuerer  3e^  fdjienen  ifym  lafttg  unb  fdjttier. 
2ld)  !  fo  feuf $f  er,  bte  Airmen !  id)  fyoffe,  fie  foKen  begreifen, 
crft  @au((f)en  ton  §olj  tragen.beS  T)ac^e^  ©e^elt, 
an  fatten  nnb  ^ap^en,  ®efd)ni^  unb  bunter  33ergolbung 

be^  gebilbeten  5lug^  feinerer  ©inn  nur  erfreut. 
,  ba  gtanbf  i^,  im  ^3i(be,  fo  mand)en  @rf)tt)armer  p 
fc^auen, 

fein  Iitftig  ©efpinft  ntit  ber  fotiben  ^atitr 
(Slmgem  Xeppic^  Derg(eid)t,  ben  ec^ten,  reinen  ©efunben 
^ranl  nennt,  ba£  ja  nur  e  r  fyeifte,  ber  franfe,  gefunb. 


82.    Her 


5lrm  am  ^Bentel,  !ran!  am  §er3en 
©djleppf  id)  meine  langen  £age. 
5lrmut  ift  bte  groftte  ^(ager 
$Reici)tum  ift  ba$  ^oc^fte  ©ut  ! 
5  Unb,  gu  enben  meine  ©djmerjen, 

©ing  id),  einen  ©djafc  p  graben. 
aWeine  ©eele  foUft  bu  fyaben! 
©ctjrieb  id)  ^in  mit  eignem  33(ut 

Unb  fo'jog  i^  flreif  urn  ^reife, 
10  ©tettte  it)unberbare  glammen, 

unb  ^'noc^eniper!  ^ufammen 


Unb  auf  bie  gelernte  3Beife 


(Soetfjes  <Scbid?te.  95 


©rub  id)  nad)  bem  alten 

bem  ange^eigten  ^latje  :  15 

g  unb  ftitrmifd)  tnar  bie 


Unb  id)  faf)  ein  2id)t  t>on  toeiten, 
Unb  eS  !cmt  g(etdj)  etnem  (Sterne 
ginten  au§  ber  fernften  gerne, 
(5ben  a(3  e^  gnjotfe  fd)(ug. 
Unb  ba  gait  letn  33orberetten. 
§el(er  luarb^  mit  einemntate 
3Son  bem  @(an^  ber  tjotlen  <Scf)aI 
£)te  ein  fc^oner  Hnabe  trug. 


5Ingen  fa^  tc^  blinfen  25 

Unter  bittern  -^(nmenfran^e  ; 
Qn  be^  Xranfe^  §tmme(^g(an3e 
;Trat  er  in  ben  ^rei^  ()erein. 
llnb  er  fyieft  mt(^  freunblic^  trinlen  ; 
llnb  ic^  bacfjt':  (5$  lann  ber  ^nabe  30 

ber  fcljonen  listen  @abe 
ntd)t  ber  ^3ofe  fein. 


£rinfe  9^nt  be§  retnen 

£)ann  Derfte^ft  bn  bie 

^ommft  mit  angftUc^er  ^3e[c^morung  35 

sJftrf)t  3urit(l  an  biefen  Ort. 

®rabe  ^ier  nicf)t  meljr  tiergeben^. 

£ageS  Arbeit,  3lbenb§  ®afte! 

@anre  SBodjen,  fro^e  gefte  ! 

bein  liinftig  ,3a^^^ort.  40 


96  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 


83.    ttn  Skitter. 

3JHt  etner  Iletnen  minei-alogifdjen  ©ommlung.    Sena,  ben  13.  Quni  1797. 

jDem  §erren  in  ber  SBiifte  bradjt' 
£)er  (Satan  einen  @tetn 
llnb  fagte  :  §err,  burii)  betne  3J?acf)t 
Sa§  e«  ein  33rotrf)en  fein! 


t»ie(en  @temen  fenbet  bir 
grennb  ein  aftufterftttd, 
gtebft  bu  balb  bafitr 
taufenbfac^ 


84.    Der 

§at  ber  alte  §e^enmetfter 
@td)  bod)  einmat  tnegbegeben  ! 
Unb  nun  foden  feine  ©eifter 
5lud)  nad^  metnent  SKilten  (eben. 
@etne  Sort'  unb  Serfe 
9Jier!t'  ic^  unb  ben  33raud), 
Unb  mit  ®ciftc«ftarfc 
'  id)  SKunber  and). 


SBalte! 
10  9Jiand)e  (Stretfe, 


Saffer  flie^e 

Unb  mit  reidjetn,  t)o((em 

3u  bent  ^3abe  \itf)  ergte^c. 


(Soetljes  <Sebid?te.  97 

Unb  nun  I  ontm,  bit  after  33efen  1  15 

9?imm  bie  fdjledjten  Sumpenplfen  ; 
23tft  fdjon  (ange  $ned)t  getoefen  ; 

erfitfle  meinen  Siflen! 

jmet  Meinen  ftefye, 
Oben  fet  etn  ^opf  !  20 

(Site  nun  unb  gefye 

bem  ^Baffertopf! 


ttalfe 
©trede, 

jinn  ,3^e^er  2s 

SBaffcr  flicgc 

Unb  mit  retdjem,  tiollem  @cl)n)al(e 
3u  bem  ^3abe  fic^  ergtege. 


t,  er  (ciuft  sum  lifer  nieber  ; 

!  tft  fdjon  an  bem  gtuffe,  30 

Unb  mit  33(tt3eSfci)neUe  iuteber 
3ft  er  fyter  mit  rafd)em  ®uffe. 

sum  jiuettcnmalc  1 
ba^  33ecfen  fc^tottlt  ! 

fid)  jebe  @d)ale  35 

3So(I  mit  SBaffer  fulit  ! 


fte^e! 
£)enn  tr»ir 
Reiner  ©aben 
SBoflgemeff  en  !  - 


id)  bod)  ba§  $3ort  fcergeffen  ! 


98  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

2ld),  ba$  SBort,  toorauf  am  @nbe 
(Sr  ba§  nn'rb,  tt)a$  er  getnefen. 
45  2Id),  er  Iciuft  unb  bringt  befyenbe  ! 

SBarft  bu  bod)  ber  aftc  ^3efen  ! 
neue  ©itffe 
er  fcfynell  ^erern, 
3l(^!  unb  tjunbert  glitffe 
so  (Stiirgen  auf  nttcl)  etn. 


ntcf)t  (anger 
idj'«  loffcn  ; 
SBifl  il)n  faffen. 
!Dae  ift  XitcE  e  1 

55  2Idj,  nnn  lutrb  mtr  tmmer  banger 

TOene  !  tteldje 


O,  bu  SfoSgeburt  ber  §fil(c  I 
@ofl  ba§  ganje  §au§  erfaufen? 
<Se^  id)  fiber  jebe  @d)tueUe 
60  £)od)  fd)on  Safferftrome  laufen. 

(5in  t)errud)ter  ^3efen, 
X)er  nid)t  ^bren  uritt  ! 
,  ber  bu  getoefen, 
boc^  iuteber  ftUI! 


SBUIft's  am  ($nbe 
@or  nid)t  laffen? 

bid)  faffen, 

bid)  I)alten 
Unb  ba^  alte  §0(3  befjenbe 
70  3)?it  bem  fdjarfen  ^3eile  flatten. 


(Soetfyes  (Scbtd?te.  99 

,  ba  lommt  er  fd)(eppenb  toieber  ! 

id)  mid)  nur  auf  bid)  toerfe, 

),  o  $obotb,  liegft  bu  nteber  ; 
$rad)enb  trifft  bie  glatte  (Sdjarfe. 
Safyrlidj,  brat)  getroffen  !  75 

@e^t,  er  tft  ent^net  ! 
Unb  nun  lann  id)  ^offen, 
Unb  id)  attne  fret! 


80 
@tet)n  in  (Site 


fertig,  in  bte  §o!)e! 
gelft  mir,  ad)  !  i^r  ^o^en 


llnb  fie  (aufen!    9tof3  unb  naffer  85 

tm  @aal  nnb  anf  ben  @tufen. 
entfe^Iic^e^  ©emciffer  ! 
§err  nnb  SJ^eifter  !  ^bf  mid)  rnfen  I  - 
2lcf),  ba  lommt  ber  5D?eifter  ! 
§err,  bie  9^ot  ift  cjro§  !  90 

$)te  tc^  rief,  bie  ©eifter, 
'  id)  nnn  nid)t  (o§. 


,,3fn  bie  (gcfc, 

33efen!  ^3efen! 

@eib?6  getnefen.  .  95 

£)enn  afe  ©eifter 

9?nft  end)  nnr,  ^n  fetnem 

(grft  ^ertjor  ber  alte  SUJetftcr. 


100  (Soetfjes  <5ebid?te. 

85.    Der  3un$0efctt  unfc    ber 

fief  ell. 

2Bo  ttrittft  bit,  flares  $ad)lein,  tyn 
(So  munter? 

£)n  eilft  mit  frofyent,  (ei(i)tem  (Sinn 
§inunter. 
5  SBa*  fudjft  bu  etltg  in  bent 

(So  ^ore  bod)  nnb  ftmd)  einmaU 


$fy  loar  em  ^3ad)(etn, 
@ic  ^aben 

fo  gcfagt,  bantit  id)  fc^nelt 

®raben 

3nr  aWii^Ic  bort  ^tnnnter  foil, 
Unb  inttner  bin  ic^  rafdj  nnb  t)oll. 

©cfcll. 

!Du  eileft  mil  gelagnem 


15  Unb  ioci§t  ntd)t,  n>a«  id)  J 

§ier  fitfjle. 
<§&  blicft  bie  fc^one  3MIerm 

frennblid)  ntanc^ntal  nad^  bir  l)in? 


ie  fiffnct  fritf)  beint  9^orgenlid)t 
20  X)en  Saben 

Unb  lotnmt,  if)r  liebe^  Slngefidjt 
3n  baben. 

nfen  ift  fo  coll  nnb 
mirb  ntir  gleid)  pnt 


(Soettjes  <Sebid?te.  101 

(Befell. 

®ann  fie  im  Staffer  8tebe«(jl.:t  25 

(Sntgitnben, 

2Bie  foil  man  9?nl)  mit  Sleif^  i<nfc  ^3v'iit'  • ' ;  *  / 

2Bof)l  finben? 

SBenn  man  fie  einmal  nnr  gefeljn, 

5ldj!  immer  muft  man  nadj  tbr  gebn.  30 


£>ann  ftitr^  id)  auf  bie  SRaber  mid) 

3Jttt  ^raufen, 

Unb  allc  @d)anfe(n  bre^en  fic^ 


@eitbem  ba$  fd)one  9}?abd)en  f^afft,  35 

§at  and)  ba^  Saffer  begre  $raft. 

<SefcII. 

Qn  firmer,  fiil)lft  bn  nic^t  ben 

3Bte  anbre? 

@ie  lad)t  bid)  an  nnb  fagt  im 

toanbre !  4° 

5ie  l)telte  bid^  inol)l  felbft  ^nrUrf 

lit  einem  fugen  ^iebe^blicf? 

Badj. 

liv  ft)irb  fo  fdjtner,  fo  fd)tter,  t»om  Ort 
3n  flieften : 

3c^  friimme  mi(^  nnr  fad)te  fort  45 

X>nrc^  SBiefen; 

Unb  lam'  e^  erft  anf  mid)  nnr  an, 
£)er  2Beg  tnaV  balb  priicfget^an. 


102  (Soetfjes  (Sebid?tc. 

©Cffll. 

©ejefle  mehter  StebeSqual, 
50  $tf)  fdjetbe  ; 

-  '    JV  murmelft  mir  oiefleidjt  etnmal 


®el),  fag'  ifyr  g(eid)  unb  fag7  ifyr  oft, 
ftiK  ber  ®ttabe  munfdjt  unb  ^ 


86.    Sd?wei?eralpe. 

Sar  bocf)  geftern  betn  §aupt  no^  fo  braun  tote  bte 

ber  8tebenr 

£)eren  ^olbe^  ®ebtlb  ftitt  au«  ber  gertte  mtr  toinft ; 
(Stlbergrait  be^ei^net  bir  frit^  ber  (Sdjnee  nun  bte  ©tpfet, 
!l)er  fief)  in  ftiirmenber  9^ac^t  btr  urn  ben  @d)eite(  ergo^. 
3ugenb,  ad) !  tft  bem  fitter  fo  naf),  burd)§  Seben  oerbunben, 
em  betuegtidjer  Xraum  ©eftern  unb  §eute  oerbanb. 


87.    Die  fltufa$eten. 

Oft  in  tiefen  3Binterna'd)ten 
id)  an  bte  Ijolben  Sftitfen : 
3)?orgenrote  (euc^tet, 
llnb  e§  tt)t(l  fein  Xag  erfdjetnen : 
5lber  bringt  gur  redjten  @tunbe 
ber  Sampe  fromm  ©e(eud)te, 
c«f  ftatt  Sluror'  unb 

fttflen  glcig  belebe! 
fie  (ie^en  mic^  im 


(Scbtd?te.  103 


!Dnmj)f  unb  nnerqnirflid),  liegen,  10 

llnb  nad)  jebem  fpaten  !3ftorgen 
golgten  nngenn^te  £age. 

£)a  fid)  nun  ber  grilling  regte, 

@agf  id)  ^n  ben  9?ad)tigatten  : 

Ctebe  ^ac^ttgalfen,  fd)(aget  15 

grit^  o  fru^  !  Dor  meinem  genfter, 

SKecft  mid)  au§  bem  tioflen  @(^(afe, 

£)er  ben  ^ihiglmg  nt(id)tig  feffelt. 

£)odj  bie  (ieberfitllten  ©anger 

^e()nten  nad)t§  Dor  ntetnem  genfter  20 

Sfyre  fitgen  9)7e(obien, 

§ie(ten  tt»ad)  bie  Itebe 


bem  neugerit^rten  33nfen. 
llnb  fo  ging  bie  9?ad)t  Doriiber,  25 

Unb  ^nrora  fanb  mid)  [d)tafen, 
a  mtc    tterfte  lanm  bie 


ift  e^  ©ommer  tnorben, 
llnb  beim  erften  !00?orgenfd)immer 

mii^  cms  bem  fyotben  @d)tnmmer         30 
gefdjcifttg  fritl)e  gliege. 
llnbarm^erjig  fefjrt  fie  h)ieber, 
3Kenn  auc^  oft  ber  Ijalb  grtna^te 
llngebnlbig  fie  t>erfd)end)et, 
Socft  bie  nntierfc^cimten  <Sd)tt)eftern,  35 

llnb  tion  meinen  5lngenlibem 

ber  ^olbe  @d)(of  enttt>eid)en. 
faring'  ic^  Don  bem  £ager, 
bie  getiebten  2!Jhifen, 


104  (Seethes  (Sebid?te. 

40  ginbe  fie  im  33ud)enf)aine, 

Wlify  gefaflig  gu  etnpfangen, 
Unb  ben  leibigen  ^nfelten 
£5anF  id)  mandje  golbne  @tnnbe. 
@eib  mir  boc^,  tt)r  llnbequemen, 

45  5Bon  bem  ^tc^ter  l)od)geprtefeti 

5l(§  bte  warren  3Jiufageten. 


88.    Un  Me  <5iinfti$cn, 

!Dic^ter  (teben  ntrfjt  ju  fdjtueigen, 
Sollen  fid)  ber  3Kcngc  geigen. 
Sob  imb  Xabel  mit^  ja  fein! 
9?iemanb  beic^tet  gem  in  ^5rofa; 
£)od)  oertraun  tx>ir  oft  fub  $Rofa 
3n  ber  2)2ufen  ftittem  gain. 


^  irrte,  tt)a$  ic^  ftrebte, 
^  Utt  unb  aia§  id)  (ebte, 
@inb  ^ier  ^Btumen  nur  im 
10  Unb  ba^  fitter  tt)ie  bte 

Unb  ber  gefyler  n?ie  bte  Xngenb 
•ftmvmt  fic^  gut  in  Siebern  cms. 


89. 


Xage  ber  SKonne, 
^ommt  it)r  fo  batb? 
(Sd)enlt  mir  bie  (Sonne 
nnb 


(Sebtcfyte.  105 

$eid)lid)er  fltefcen  5 


<Smb  eg  bie  Stefen, 
3ft  eg  bag 


gitnmel  unb 
©otbene  gifc^e 
SBttnmeln  im 


©efteber 
im  §am  ; 
§tmmlifd)e  gteber 
(Scfjallen  barein. 

Unter  beg  ©rinten 


bte  ^Bicnen 
(gutntnenb  am  @aft. 


getfe 

in  ber  8uft, 


@d)(afernber 

rit^rct  25 

fid)  ein  §auc^^ 
er  tjerlieret 
®leid)  fi^  im 


er  gurUd.  30 

©elfet,  i^ 
Xragcn  bag 


106  (Soetfyes  (Scbtd?te. 

©aget,  feit  geftern 
2Bie  ntir  gefdjal)  ? 

35  SieWicfye  @d)tt)eftern, 

Siebrfjen  ift  ba ! 


9O. 

£)a  broben  auf  jenem  33erge, 
£)a  fte^  id)  taiifenbtnal 
2(n  meinem  (Stabe  gebogen 
Unb  fdjaite  fytttab  in  ba^ 


£)ann  folg'  id)  ber  tr»eibenben  §erbe, 
9^etn  §imbd)en  bewa()ret  mil*  fie. 
3d)  bin  ^ernnter  gefommen 
llnb  weig  bod)  felber  nid)t  nrie. 


!Da  tt»el)et  Don  fdjonen 
10  'Die  gan^e  2Biefe  fo  t)oO. 

-3^  bredje  fie,  ofyne  ^n  t^iffen, 
id)  fie  geben  foil 


Unb  $Regen,  @tnrm  nnb  ©emitter 
^er^aff  id)  nnter  bent  33anm. 
15  5)ie  Xfyure  bort  bleibet  t»erfd)(offen  ; 

£)od)  alle§  ift  (eiber  ein  £rcmm. 

fte^et  ein  ^Hegenbogen 
itber  jenem 


20 


$Bof)(  itber  jenem  §cm$! 
@ie  aber  ift  iweggejogen 
Unb  tueit  in  ba$  I'anb  ^inau^ 


(5ebtd?te.  107 


§inan$  in  ba$  £anb  unb 
$iel(eid)t  gar  itber  bie 
23oriiber,  iijr  @d)afe,  Doritber  ! 
£)em  ©cfya'fer  ift  gar  |"o 


91. 

ergretft,  id)  iDetft  ntd)t  tDte, 
§tmtnltfd;e^  ^Be^agen, 
2BUI  mtd)^  etnja  gar  ^inauf 
3u  ben  'Sternen  tragen? 
!l)od)  id)  bteibe  tieber  ^ier, 
$ann  id)  reblid)  fagen, 

@efang  nnb  ®(afe 
ben  £ifd)  ju  fd)(agen. 


end),  if)r  greitnbe,  nid)t, 
id)  mid)  gebarbe  ;  10 

ift  ed  oUcritcbft 
5lnf  ber  Ueben  (5rbe  : 
X)arnm  fdjwor'  i 
Unb  o^n'  atte 
5)a^  id)  mid)  nid)t  fret>entlic^  15 

Segbegeben  werbe. 


£)a  mir  aber  aKjnmal 
@o  beifammen  toeilen 
tc^,  Kange  ber 


108  (Soetfjes  <Sebtd?te. 

®nte  grennbe  jiefyen  fort, 
2Bof)l  em  tynnbert  3ftetten, 
£)arnm  foil  man  fyier  am  Drt 
Sfapftojjett  eilen. 

25  £ebe  Ijodj,  met  £eben  fcfyafft  ! 

£)a3  ift  metne  ^e^re. 
Itnfer  ^ontg  benn  Doran, 
3^m  gebitfjrt  bte  (g^ve. 
©egen  inn*  unb  ftu§ern  getnb 
30  (Scfet  er  fid)  pr  SBc^rc  ; 

(Straiten  bcnft  er 
r  nod),  inte  er  mc^re. 


begritg'  tc^  fie 
@ie,  bte  etn^ig  (Sine. 
35  3eber  benfe  ritterltd) 

@tc^  babei  bie  (Seine. 
9Her!et  and)  ein  fd)b'ne$  tinb, 

ic^  eben  meine, 
,  fo  nicfe  fie  mir  p  : 
4o  8eb'  and)  fo  ber  SJicmc  ! 


grennben  gilt  ba«  britte 
3iueien  ober  breten, 
mit  nnS  am  gnten 
im  ftilten  frenen 
45  Unb  ber  ^ebel  tritbe 

Cei^  nnb  (eidjt  jerftrenen; 
!Diefen  fei  ein  §o^  gebrac^t, 
Bitten  ober  neuen. 


<5octf?es  (5cbtd?te.  109 


33reiter  toattet  nun  ber  (&trom 

•UJftt  fcermefyrten  Selfen.  5° 

£eben  jel^t  im  fyofyen 

SReblidje  ®efe(ten! 

£)te  fid)  nttt  gebrdngter 

^3rat»  •jufcumnen  fteflen 

Qn  beg  ©litcte^  ©onnenfdjein  55 

Unb  in  fc^timmen  gallen. 

3Bte  n)ir  nun  jufantmen  finb, 
gufammen  Diele. 
getingen  bennr  tt)ie  ung, 

ifyre  @pte(e!  60 

ber  Quetfe 
tnandje 

Unb  ba^  So^l  ber  gan^en  SBclt 
iuorauf  id)  giete. 


92. 

unb  ^unft,  fie  fdjeinen  fid)  jn  fliefyen 
Unb  t)aben  fid),  e^  man  e§  benft,  gefunben  ; 
£)er  SKibenritte  ift  and)  mir  Derfdjtounben, 
Unb  beibe  fc^einen  gteic^  mid)  cmp^iefyen. 


(S§  gilt  it»ol)l  nur  ein  reblid)e§ 

Unb  ftienn  iDir  erft  in  abgeme^nen  @tunben 

@eift  unb  g(ei^  un$  an  bie  ^unft  gebunben, 
frei  9^atur  im  ©er3en  ^teber  gtii^en. 


110  (Soetfyes  (5ebtd?te. 

<So  iff  8  mil  alter  33Ubung  and)  befdjaffen 
10         $ergeben$  fterben  ungebunbne  ©eifter 

ber  23ottenbung  reiner  $i)Ije  ftreben. 


©rofteS  null,  mug  fid)  jufammenraffen  ; 
3n  ber  33efd)rimfimg  getgt  fid)  erft  ber  Sftetfter, 
llnb  ba6  ®efe^  nur  lann  un«  gret^ett  geben* 


93. 

fingen  itnb  fagen  bom  ©rafen  fo  gern, 
£)er  I)ter  in  bem  @d)Ioffe  gefyaufet, 
!Da,  tt)o  i^r  ben  (Snfel  be§  fetigen  ,perrn, 
T)en  Ijeute  t>ermdl)(ten,  befc^maufet. 
^iun  fyatte  fid)  jener  im  ^eitigen  $rieg 
3u  (S^ren  geftrttten  burd)  mannigen  @ieg, 
llnb  a(§  er  511  §aufe  Dom  9^dffelein  ftieg, 
£)a  fanb  er  fetn  ®d)loffeletn  oben, 

Wiener  unb  gabe  gerftobcn. 


10  !Da  bift  bit  nun,  ®rdf(ein,  ba  bift  bu  ju 

'X)a§  §eimifc^e  finbeft  bu  fdjlimmer! 
,3um  ^^tifter  ba  gtefyen  bte  SBinbe 
(Sie  lommen  burd)  afle  bie  ftimmw. 
2Ba$  tDd're  p  t^un  in  ber  l)erbft(id)en 

15  @o  Ijab'  ic^  bod)  mandje  nod)  fd)(immer  t>ol(brac^t, 

X)er  S^orgen  ^at  aUe$  it)ol)t  beffer  gemadjt. 
SDrum  rafd)  bet  ber  monbltd^en  §cllc 
t,  in  bo^  @tro(),  m« 


(Soetljes  <5cbid?te.  Ill 

llnb  al$  er  im  ttrittigen  @d)lummer  fo  lag, 
33ettegt  e$  fid)  unter  bent  33ette.  20 

£)ie  SHatte,  bie  rafale,  fo  lange  fie  mag  ! 
-$a,  inenn  fie  em  $rofelein  fyatte  ! 
£)od)  fiefye!  ba  ftetjet  em  nrin^iger  2Bid)t, 

ntit  5lntpe(en=Sirf)t, 
unb  @precf)ei>@etoid)t          25 
gu§  be^  ermitbeten  ©rafen, 
,  fd)(aft  er  nicfyt,  mb'c^f  er  boc^  fdjlafen. 


^aben  nn§  gefte  ^ier  oben  erlaubt, 
@ettbem  bu  bie  3^miner  tiertaffen, 
llnb  tDeit  inir  bid)  toeit  in  ber  gerne  geglaubt,      30 
@o  batten  totr  eben  ju  praffen. 
llnb  tnenn  bn  tiergonneft  unb  tDenn  bir  nid)t  grant, 
@o  fd/manfen  bie  ^tnerge  be^aglid)  nnb  lant 
3u  (gf)ren  ber  reic^en,  ber  nieblic^en  33raut 
T)er  @raf  im  ^Be^agen  be$  Xranme^  :  35 

^Bebienet  end)  immer  be^ 


lommen  brei  ^Heiter,  fie  reiten  fjer&or, 
unter  bent  ^Bette  gefyalten  ; 
fotget  ein  fingenbeS,  Itingenbe^  G^or 

Keiner  ©eftaften  ;  40 

llnb  3Sagen  anf  2Bagen  mit  adent  ©erat, 
einem  fo  §oren  a(^  <£>el)en  tierge^t, 
nur  in  ben  @d)lb'ffem  ber  ^onige  fte^t  ; 
t  auf  tiergolbetem  $3agen 
^3raut  unb  bie  ©a'fte  getragen.  45 


@o  rennet  nun  a(fe$  in 
llnb  titrt  fief)  im  @aa(e  fein  "Pa'^djen  ; 
3um  ©re()en  unb  ^Baljen  unb  lufttgen 
^rfiefet  fid)  jeber  ein 


112  (Soettjes  (Sebtcfyte. 

50  £)a  pfeift  e$  unb  geigt  e§  unb  Ilinget  unb  flirrt, 

£)a  ringelf$  unb  fdjleift  e$  ttnb  raufdjet  unb  unrrt, 
£)a  pifperfs  unb  hufterfS  unb  flitfteif  8  unb  fd)tt>irrt; 

©rcifletn,  e§  b(t(fet  t)initberr 
bi'mlt  i(n  a(^  la'  er  hn 


55  }?un  bappelt^  unb  rappelt^  unb  ffappert'8  tm 

3Son  ^Banfen  unb  @titt)len  unb 
!Da  toil!  nun  etn  jeber  am  feftltcfyen 
©id)  neben  bent  £tebd)en  erfrifdjen; 
®ie  tragen  bie  SBitrfte,  bte  @d)inlen  fo  Hein 
60  Unb  ^3raten  unb  gtfc^  unb  ©epgel  ^eretn; 

&$  lret[et  beftanbig  ber  loftli^e 
tofet  unb  fofet  fo  (ange, 

mit  @efange. 


llnb  follen  tutr  fingen,  tt)a^  wetter  gefd)el)nr 
65  @o  fd)U)eige  ba$  Xoben  unb  Xofen. 

Denn  fta$  er  fo  artig  tm  tletnen  gefe^n, 

(5rful)r  er,  genog  er  tm  gro^en. 

Xrompeten  unb  flingenber,  ftngenber 

Unb  Sagen  unb  better  unb  brautlic^er 
70  @te  fommen  unb  jetgen  unb  netgen  fid)  all', 

Unjaljlige,  felige  i'eute. 

(So  ging  e^  unb  getyt  e^  nod) 


94.    Dct  nattenfan^er. 

)  bin  ber  tool)lbe!annte  ©anger, 
ctelgereifte  SHattenfanger, 


(Soetfyes  <8ebid?te.  113 


£)en  biefe  altberitfymte 

©ettrij}  befonberS  notig  fyat 

Unb  toaren'3  fatten  nod)  fo  mete,  5 

llnb  uwren  SKiefet  ntit  itn  ®piele; 

3Son  alien  faubr'  tiJ)  btefen  Drt, 

@tc  miiffen  mtteinanber  fort. 

1)ann  ift  ber  gutgelattnte  ganger 
3iRttunter  cmcf)  ein  ^ttnberf  anger,  10 

fetbft  bte  inttbeften  bejtDtngt, 

er  bie  golbnen  9Jlard)en  fingt. 
Unb  inaren  ^naben  nod)  fo  trufetcj, 
Unb  tDa'ren  9)iabd)en  nod)  fo  ftn^ig, 
3n  meine  fatten  gretf  id)  ein,  15 

@ie  mitffen  a((e  tjtnterbrein. 


ift  ber  oielgeiuanbte  ganger 
©e(egenttid)  ein  Sftabcfyenfa'nger  ; 
Qn  feinem  ©tabtc^en  (angt  er  an, 
3Bo  erT^  nid)t  manner  anget^an.  20 

Unb  tua'ren  2)^abd)en  noc^  fo  blobe, 
Unb  ttjaren  Seiber  nod)  fo  fprobe, 
T)od)  alien  tnirb  fo  tiebebang 
nnb  ©efang. 

2(nfang.) 


95. 

!Da  broben  anf  jenem  ^3erge, 
^a  fteljt  ein  oltc« 
SKo  ^tnter  X^oren  nnb 
@onft  (auerten  fitter  nnb 


114  (Soetfyes  <Sebid?te. 

5  $erbrannt  finb  Xljiiren  nnb  Xfyore, 

Unb  liberal!  ift  c«  fo  fttft  ; 
£)a$  alte  tterfalme  ©ema'uer 
£)urrf)flettr'  id),  tme  id)  nnr  mil 

gierneben  lag  em  belter, 
10  (So  Dott  t)on  lofttic^em  28em; 

fteiget  nic^t  me^r  mtt 
^ettnerin  Better  fjineht. 


@ic  fe^t  ben  ©a'ften  tm 

9^ic^t  mc^r  bie  33edjer  utn^er, 

15  @ie  fitKt  jum  ^etltgen  9J^at)(e 

nict)t 


retdjt  bem  (itfternen 

mefyr  auf  bem  ©ange  ben  £ranf 
Unb  nimntt  fiir  flitc^tige  ®abe 
ben  pcfytigen  !Danf. 


a((e  fatten  nnb  £)erfen, 
@tc  finb  fdjon  lange  uerbrannt 
Unb  Xrepp'  nnb  @ang  nnb 

unb  Xritmmer  tieriDanbt, 


25  Qotf)  a(3  mtt  3itfJer  nnb 

biefen  fetftgen  §6^n 
an  bem  fyeiterften  Xage 
fteigen  gefe()n  ; 


X)a  bra'ngte  fid) 
30  §ert)or  an^  Derobeter 

^a  ging'3  tt)ie  in  alten  Xagen 
feierlid)  tnieber  jn  ; 


(Soetfjes  (Sebtcfyte.  115 

Site  waren  fiir  ftattltdje  ©cifte 
£)ie  toeiteften  $Raume  bereft, 

lam'  em  ^ardjen  gegangen  35 

jener  titcfytigen  £tit  ; 


ftimb'  in  feiner  tapefle 
tDiirbtgc  ''Pfaffe  fcfjon  ba 
Unb  fragte  :  SBoftt  i^r  einanber  ? 
tr  aber  (ac^elten  :  ^a  ! 


Unb  tief  beiuegten  ©efa'nge 

eqen$  innigften  ®runb, 
jeugte,  ftatt  ber 
c§o  fdjallenber 


Unb  ate  fic^  gegen  ben  5(benb  45 

ftillen  alle^  t)ertor, 
bltcfte  bte  glii^enbe  @onne 
frfjroffen  <$tpfel  empor. 


Unb  Unapp  nnb  3Mmerin  gtan^en 

5lte  §erren  irett  unb  brett  ;  50 

@ie  ntmmt  fid^  p 

Unb  er  pm  3)an!e  fid) 


96.    Vanitas!  vanitatuin  vanitas! 

3c^  fyab'  mein  @ad)  auf  nic^te  gefteflt 


T)rum  tff«  fo  toofyl  mir  in  ber 


116  (Soetfjes  <5ebtd?te. 

5  Unb  toer  nrifl  mein  $amerabe  fern, 

£)er  ftoj^e  mit  an,  ber  ftimme  mit  ein 
23ei  biefer  Sfteige  SBein. 

3d)  fteflf  mem  <Sad)  auf  ®elb  unb  ®ut. 

3ud)t)e! 
10  !Doruber  t»er(or  icf)  greub'  unb 


£)ie  ^itnje  roltte  I)ter  nnb  bort, 
Unb  Ijafc^f  id)  fie  an  einem  Drt, 
5(m  anbern  roar  fie  fort. 

15  5lnf  SBeiber  ftellt'  id)  nnn  mein 

Srtfttl 

mir  !am  mel  Ungemad). 


)ie  ga(fd)e  fnc^t'  fid)  ein  anber 
20  X)ie  Xreue  mad)t;  mir  £ 

ie  ^Befte  mar  nicljt  fell. 


fteHt'  mein  @ad)  anf  9^etf  nnb 


Unb  lieg  meine  3$ater(anbe§art. 
25  O  n)el)l 

Unb  mir  befyagf  e§  nirgenb§  red)tr 

!Dtc  ®oft  mar  fremb,  ba^  53ctt  war  fd)(ed)t, 

9^iemanb  nerftanb  mid)  red)t. 


3d)  fteHt'  mein  @ad)  anf  SHnfym  nnb 
30  3u^c! 

Unb  fie1^  !  g(eid)  l)atf  ein  anbrer  me()r. 


(Soetfyes  <Sebid?te.  117 

ie  id)  mid)  fyatt7  fjertwrgetfyan, 
£)a  fatyen  Me  £eute  fd)eel  mid)  an, 
£mtte  feinem  $Ked)t  getfyan.  35 


-3d)  fefct'  mein  @ad)  auf  $ampf  nnb 

3itc^l)e! 
Unb  un3  getang  fo  manner 


SBir  (^ogen  in  geinbe^  Sanb  l)tnein,  40 

®em  grcunbc  foltt'3  nic^t  tiiel  beffer  fein, 
Unb  id)  t»er(or  ein 


ab'  icf)  mein  (Sad^  anf  nid)t^  gefteUt. 

3n^e! 
Unb  mein  gefybrt  bie  gan^e  SBelt.  45 


gel)t  nnn  @ang  nnb 
trinlt  mir  alle  sJJeigen  a 


97. 

@o  ii)ar  e§  fdjon  in  meinen  Xagen, 
^•in  jeber  fd)(agt  gar  ^od)  fic^  an, 
Unb  untrbeft  bu  fie  atte  fragen; 
^Bic^tigfte  ^at  er  get^an. 


(aftet  fc^wer  bie  fdjtoere  8aft, 
felber  bn  jn  tragen  ^aft, 
Unb  ob  ein  anbrer  ad)jt  nnb  feidjt, 
gitr  bid)  ift  feine  33itrbe  teic^t. 


118  <5oetfjes(Sebid?te. 

98.    mdcljtige 

©n  @trom  entraufdjt  umftblftem  gelfenfaale, 
£)em  Dgean  fid)  etttg  gu  fcerbinben; 
2Ba$  and)  fid)  fpiegetn  mag  Don  ©runb  gu  ©ritnben, 
($r  toanbelt  unaufl)a(tfam  fort  gu  £l)ale. 

5         !Damonifc^  aber  ftiirjt  mit  ememmale  - 

3^  fotgten  23erg  itnb  Salb  in  Sir6eht)tnben  - 

©id)  Drea^,  ^3e^agen  bort  311  finben, 

Unb  ^emmt  ben  £auf,  begren^t  bie  tneite  @d)a(e. 


£)te  SKefle  fpritl)t  unb  ftaunt  guritd  unb 

Unb  fc^miflt  bergan,  fid)  immer  felbft  311  trtnlen; 

®e^emmt  ift  nnn  gnm  3Sater  ^in  ba^  @treben. 


fd)tt)anft  unb  rutjt,  gum  (See  guri'trfgebeidjet  ; 
©eftirnc,  fpiegetnb  fid),  befdjaun  ba^  ^BUnlen 
am  gel^,  ein  neue§  £eben. 


99.    Die  Cie^enbe  abermaU. 

2Barum  id)  tuieber  gum  papier  mid)  wenbe? 
:T)a^  mu^t  bu,  £iebfter,  fo  beftimmt  ntc^t  fragen 
£)enn  eigenttic^  ^ab'  ic^  btr  nidjt$  gu  fagen  ; 
!Dod)  fommt'3  gute^t  in  beine  (ieben  §anbe. 


5         3Bei(  id)  nid)t  tommen  faun,  foil,  roaS  tc^  fenbe, 
9J?ein  ungeteitte^  gerg  tjinitbertragen 
Wit  Sonnen,  goffnungen,  (Sntgitcfen, 
at  nid)t  Slnfang,  ^at  nic^t 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte.  119 

mag  bom  Ijenfgen  £ag  bir  ntd)t$  bertranen, 
[id)  im  @innen,  Stmfdjen,  Safynen,  Gotten       10 
Sftetn  treneS  §erj  gu  bir  fyinitber  ibenbet: 


@o  ftanb  id)  einft  t)or  bir,  bid)  an^ufdjauen, 
llnb  fagtc  ntc^te.    $Sa§  ^tttf  id)  fagen  [often? 
ganged  Sefen  war  in  fid)  bottenbet. 


1OO.    3n 

^et•  ?el^nja^ri$en  £erttja  von 

Sena,  ben  is.  2TCai  1809. 

bie  33Iitten  t)eutc  bringen 
ben  aitfgefdjloftnen  3^eigenr 
bie  33oge(  l)eute  fingen 
bnrd)fid)tigen  ©eftrandjen, 
@o  begteitet  reif  nnb  (ebe 
llnb  fo  frewtbttrf)  nintni  nnb  gebe. 


1O1.    Ergo  bibanius ! 

§ter  finb  intr  berfammeU  p  (oblid^em 
X)rnm,  ^3ritberd)en !  Ergo  bibamus. 

®(ftfcr,  fie  tlingen,  ©efpra^c,  fie  rnl)nr 
33el)eqtget  Ergo  bibamus. 

^eigt  nod)  ein  alteS,  ein  tiicfjttge^  Sort 
@^  paffet  gnm  (grften  nnb  paffet  fo  fort, 
llnb  fdjallet  ein  (g(^o  bom  feftlidjen  Drt, 
Sin  ^errlid)e^  Ergo  bibamus. 


120  (Seethes  (Sebicfyte. 

3*d)  fyatte  mem  frennblicfyeS  Stebdjen  gefefyn, 
10  £)a  bad)f  id)  mir  :  Ergo  bibamus. 

llnb  nafyte  mid)  frennblid),  ba  (teg  fie  mid)  ftefm  ; 

3d)  fyaff  mtr  unb  badjte  :  Bibamus. 
llnb  tuenn  fie  t>erfd()net  end)  ()er^et  unb 
Unb  tuenn  t^r  bag  §erjen  nnb  Stiffen 
15         <So  bteibet  nnr,  bi§  ifyr  tr»a 

troftlidjen  Ergo  bibamus. 


rnft  metn  @efd)i(f  bon  ben  greunben 

rebltd^en!  Ergo  bibamus. 
2ldj  fc^etbe  rjon  Ijtnnen  mtt  (etdjtem  @e^ci(f  ; 

3Dmm  boppelte^  Ergo  bibamus. 
llnb  tt>a$  and)  ber  Sttj  rjon  bem  Seibe  fid)  fcfymorgt, 
@o  bletbt  fitr  ben  ©ettern  boc^  immer  geforgt, 
2Bett  immer  bem  gro^en  ber  grbfylidje  borgt; 
T)rnm,  ^Britberdjen!  Ergo  bibamus. 


25        28a$  folfen  un'r  fagen  gnm  Antigen 

$d)  bacfyte  nnr:  Ergo  bibamus. 
(5r  ift  nnn  einma(  t>on  befonberem 

£)rum  immer  aufs  neue :  Bibamus. 
(5r  fiifyret  bie  grenbe  bnrc^g  offene 
30         (£3  glimjen  bte  Solfen,  e§  tei(t  fic^  ber 

T)a  fdjeint  nn^  em  -53t(bc^en,  ein  gott(idje$,  uor ; 
Sir  lltngen  nnb  fingen:  .Bibamus. 


(5octf?cs  (5ebtd?te.  121 


1O2. 

£)er  <Strauf},  ben  id)  gepfftitfet, 
©riifle  bid)  tiiel  taufenbmal! 
$tf)  fjabe  mid)  oft  gebMet, 
Id),  tt>ol)t  em  taufenbmal, 
llnb  ifyn  an$  §crg  gebritcfet 
f)unberttanfenbma(! 


1O3. 

^Bei^en  nnb  torn, 
gecfen  unb  £)orn, 
^a'umen  nnb 
So  gefjt  '«  ^iebd)en? 
mir 


ganb  mein  §otbd)en 
ba^eim; 


fetn, 

©riint  nnb  bliifyet 
@(^6n  ber 
Siebc^en  ^i 
gro^  unb  fret. 


bem  gelfen 
fie  reid)te  ben  $u§,  15 

erften  im 


3ft  fie 


122  (Soetljes<5ebtd?te. 


1O4.    Die  Cufti^cn  t>cn  IPeimar. 

^onner^tag  nad)  23efoebere, 
grettag  a,ef)f$  nacf)  3^0  fort: 
£)enn  ba$  tft,  bet  meiner  (Sfyre, 
£)od)  em  allerltebfter  Ort! 
<Sam3tag  iff  «,  tuorauf  tt)tr  gteten, 
<Sonntag  rutf^t  man  anf  ba^  8anb; 


ade  luoljtbefannt. 


SOJontag  retget  nn^  bte 
!l)ien§tag  fd)(etc^t  bann  auc    ^erbet, 
£)ocf)  er  bringt  ju  fttUer  (Siifyne 
©n  ^Rapnfdjdjen  fran!  nnb  fret. 
fe^lt  e^  nid)t  an 
giebt  cm  gnte^ 
15  !Donner0tag  Icnft  bie  SScrfil^rung 

juritcf. 


Unb  c«  fc^Ungt  ununterbrodjen 
3mmcr  fid)  ber  grcubenfrcid 
£)urdj  bte  g»ct  unb  fnnf^tg  SBodjcn, 
Senn  man^  red)t  p  fit^ren 
nnb  £an$,  ©efpra'd), 

erfrifd)en  nnfer  23(nt; 

ben  Sienern  itjren  prater; 
SBctmar,  Sena,  ba  iff  8  gut! 


1O5.    Her  €otentan?. 

$)er  Xurmer,  ber  fc^ant  jn  mitten  ber 
§inab  anf  bte  ©rabcr  in  Sage; 

ber  ^at  attcd  in§  §efle  gebracfjt ; 

f,  er  liegt  tt>te  am 


(Soet^es  (5ebid?te.  123 

regt  fid)  em  ®rab  unb  ein  anbereS  bann  :  5 

tommen  fyer&or,  ein  2Betb  ba,  ein  !»D?ann, 
toeiften  unb  fd)teppenben  gemben. 

redt  nun,  e$  mill  fid)  ergo^en  fogleid), 
£)ie  $nb'djel  gur  ^nnbe,  gum  $ran$e, 
<go  arm  unb  fo  jung  unb  fo  att  unb  fo  reicl)  ;         10 
T)odj  fjtnbern  bie  @^Ieppen  am  Xan^e. 
Unb  toeU  ^ter  bie  @rf)am  nun  nid)t  lueiter  gebeut, 
@ie  fcfyittteln  fid)  a((e,  ba  (iegen  jerftreut 

§embeletn  iiber  ben  §itg,eht. 


l)ebt  fid)  ber  ©d)enfe(,  nun  \vadtlt  bae  ^Bein,   15 
©eba'rben  ba  giebt  e^r  fcertracfte  ; 

Ktppert^  unb  flapperfs  mttunter  ^inein, 
fd)litg'  man  bie  §o^(ein  gum  Xafte. 
lommt  nun  bem  ^iirmer  fo  la'djerltd)  t»or; 
raunt  ifym  ber  @d)a(f,  ber 
!  fyofe  bir  einen  ber  Salen. 


©etfyan  mie  gebad)t!  unb  cr  pcfytet  fic^  fd)nell 

I)  inter  gefyeiltcjte  X^iiren. 

9}7onb  unb  nod)  immer  er  fc^einet  fo  fyett 

Xdng,  ben  fie  fd)auber(id)  fitf)ren.  25 

enblic^  fcerlteret  fid)  biefer  unb  berr 
<Sd)leid)t  ein^  nad)  bem  anbern  geffeibet  ein^er, 
llnb  ^ufc^  ift  e$  unter  bem 


einer,  ber  trippelt  unb  fto^ert 
Unb  tappet  unb  grapft  an  ben  ©riiften;  30 

fyat  fein  ©efette  fo  fdjiner  ifyn 
iuittert  ba^  £ud)  in  ben  ^itften. 


124  (Booties  (5ebtd?te. 

(5r  ritttett  bie  Xurmtfjttr,  fie  fd)lagt  U)n  gurittf, 

^e^tert  unb  gefegnet,  bem  Xiirmer  ^um  ®(M, 

35         <Sie  blintt  Don  metalfenen 


§emb  mug  er  fyaben,  ba  raftct  er  nid)t, 
£)a  gilt  auc^  lein  lange^  ^3efinnen, 
®en  gotifcfjen  Qkvat  ergrctft  nun  ber  2Bid)t 
Unb  Kettert  Don  3^nne  au  Sinnen- 
40        ^un  iff«  um  ben  armen,  ben  Xurnter  getfyan! 
@«  rucft  fief)  Don  ®cf)nortel  ^u  ®d)nbr!e( 
Sangbeintgen  @ptnnen  t»erg(eic^bar. 


Xitrmer  erbletc^et,  ber  Xiirmer  erbebt, 
®ern  gcib'  er  ifyn  tnieber,  ben  Salen. 
45         £)a  l)a!ett  —  jey  fyat  er  am  la'ngften  gelebt  — 
£)en  3iPfe^  e^  etferner  3a^en- 

n  triibet  ber  SQionb  fid)  fcerfcfjnrinbenben 
©tocfe,  fie  bonnert  ein  mddjtige^ 
Unb  unten  gerfcfyelft  ba 


1O6. 

3^  i)dbe  get  iebet,  nun  lieb'  ic^  erft  redjt  ! 
(5rft  tt)ar  id)  ber  £)iener,  nun  bin  id)  ber 
(Srft  tt)ar  id)  ber  Wiener  Don  alien; 
91un  feffelt  mic^  biefe  djarmante  ^erfon, 
@ie  t^ut  mir  auc^  aUe§  jur  Siebe,  jum 
lann  nur  attein  mir  gefaUen. 


3d)  ^abe  geglaubet,  nun  glaub'  id)  erft  red)t  ! 
Unb  gefjt  e^  auc^  n)unberlic^,  ge^t  e$  auc^  fd)led)tr 


(Seethes  <5ebtd?te.  125 

3d)  bleibe  beim  glanbigen  Drben  : 

(So  bitfter  e$  oft  itnb  fo  bnntel  e$  roar  10 

3n  brangenben  ^oten,  in  nafyer  ®efal)r, 

Sluf  einmat  iffs  lifter  gettorben. 

3d)  fyabe  gefpeifet,  nun  fpeif  id)  erft  gut  ! 

^3ei  fyeiterem  ©tune,  mtt  frol)ltdjem  ^B(ut 

3ft  altes  an  Xafel  t)ergeffen.  15 

£)te  3^9e^b  t>erfd)(ingt  nnr,  bann  faufet  fie  fort; 

(tebe  311  tafeln  am  (uftigen  Drt, 

loff  nnb  tc^  fdjmecfe  beim  (gffen. 

l)abe  getnmfen,  nnn  trinf  ic^  erft  gern! 

3Bein,  er  erl)ol)t  un$,  er  mad)t  un^  jnm  §errn     20 
llnb  Idfet  bie  fflatiifdjen  3u^9en« 
3a,  fc^oneJ:  nur  nidjt  ba§  erquicfenbe  ^a^  : 
£)enn  fc^tt)inbet  ber  attefte  SKetn  aits  bent  gag, 
<So  altern  bagegen  bie  jungen. 

3d)  ^abe  getanjt  unb  bem  Xange  gelobt,  25 

Unb  it)irb  aud^  !ein  @d)(eifer,  lein  SBaljer  getobt, 

@o  brel)n  anr  ein  fittige^  Xan3d)en. 

Unb  toer  fid)  ber  ^Btnmen  red)t  t)ie(e  tierflidjt, 

Unb  !^d(t  and)  bie  ein'  nnb  bie  anbere  nidjt, 

bleibet  ein  mnntere^  ^ra'n^djen.  30 


frif^  nnr  anfs  nene!    ^Bebenfe  bic^  nic^t: 
£)enn  tuer  ftc^  bie  9^ofen,  bie  blitfyenben,  bric^t, 

(n  fitrniafyr  nnr  bie  !Dornen. 
fyente  \mt  geftern,  e^  pimmert  ber  @tern  ; 
l)a(te  t>on  pngenben  ^b'pfen  bid)  fern  35 

Unb  lebe  Mr  immer  fcon  tiornen. 


126  (Booties   (5ebid?tc. 


1O7.    Die  wanfcelnbe 


tt>ar  em  $inb,  ba$  tooflte  nte 
$trd)e  fid)  beqnemen, 
llnb  ^onntagS  fcmb  e§  ftets  em  2Bte, 
£)en  2Beg  in§  gelb  311  nefymen. 


Gutter  fpract)  :  £)te  ®(o(fe  tont, 
Unb  fo  ift  btr'«  befol)(en, 
Unb  ^aft  bit  bid;  ntdjt  ^ingeiDo^nt, 
te  lommt  unb  iDtrb  bid)  Ijolen. 


^inb,  e§  benft  :  bie  ©tocfe  fjangt 
10  £)a  broben  auf  bem  @tu^(e. 

<Sd)on  I)at'^  ben  Seg  in^  gelb  getenft, 
51U  (tef  e^  ait$  ber 


tont  ntd)t 
U)tc  Gutter  Ijat  cjefacfelt. 
15  5)oc^r  toe(d)  ein  @d)recfe 

£)ie  ®(octe  fommt  getDacfett. 


ie  toacfelt  fdjneU,  man  glaubt  e§  faum  ; 

arme  ^tnb  im  ©djireden, 
(anft,  e§  fommt,  als  n)te  im  Xranm  ; 
©lotfe  luirb  e$  becfen. 


nimmt  e^  rtdjttg  feinen 
Unb  mit  getoanbter  (Sc^nelte 
(5t(t  e«  bitrd)  Singer,  gelb  nnb 

$ird)e,  jur 


(Beetles   (Sebtcfyte.  127 

Unb  jeben  <Sonn-  unb  getertag  25 

©ebenlt  e$  an  ben  @d)aben, 
gftjjt  burd)  ben  crftcn  ®locfenfd)lag, 
in  $erfon  fid)  laben. 


1O8.    (Befunfcen. 


)  gtng   m 
@o  fur  mic^  l)inr 
Unb  nidjts  jit  fndjen, 
war  inein 


©fatten  fa^  id) 
in  ^3(iund)en  fte^n, 
ie  ©terne  (endjtenb, 
ie  Sngtein  fdjon. 


§  bredjen, 

$)a  fagf  e^  fein  :  10 

@oll  id)  gum  ^Bellen 
©ebrocfyen  fein? 

Qfy  grub;§  mit  alien 
£)en  SBur^ein  au§, 

©arten  trug  ic^^  15 

pbfcfyen 


Unb  pflan^t'  e^  toieber 

1m  ftitlen  Ort  ; 

9^un  gtneigt  e§  immer 

Unb  blufyt  fo  fort.  20 


128  (Soctfyes  <5ebid?te. 


1O9.    (Bleidj  unfc 

(Sin  33lnmena,lb'(¥d)en 
23otn  23oben  fyeruor 
Sar  fritl)  gefproffet 
3n  liebltdjem  glor; 
£)a  lam  em  33iend)en 
Unb  nafdjte  fetn  :  - 
1)ie  mitffen  tt>of)I  beibe 
gitr  emanber  fetn. 


no. 


erflmgt,  ma§  fritl)  erffang, 
©litcf  iinb  Ungliicf  iDtrb  ®efang. 


111.    tflaffer. 

Sir  reiten  in  bie  ®ren$  nnb 
9?ad)  ftreuben  nnb  ©efdjaften ; 
£)odj  immer  flafft  e^  Ijinter^er 
Unb  billt  ans  alien  ^raften. 
@o  will  ber  <Spi^  an^  nnfernt 
Un§  immerfort  begleiten, 
Unb  feine§  ^3ellen§  lanter  <S 
4Beweift  nnr,  ba^  luir  reiten. 


112.    <5<?tt,  (Bemiit 

1. 

Unfer  S3ater  ein  fdjon 
bient  nnb  Ijilft  in  alien 


(Soetfjes  <Sebtd?te.  129 

Senn  einer  and)  23ater  unfer  fleljt, 
$n  ®otte$  9?amen,  taft  tfyn  beten. 

2. 

Qfy  ttanbte  auf  tt)etterr  bunter  gtitr  5 

Urj|)rimgltd)er  9^atur, 
©n  Bolter  ^3ornr  in  tDeld)em  id)  babe, 
3ft  Ubertteferung,  ift  ®nabe. 

3. 

SKann?  unb  So?  —  £)te  ©otter  bleiben  ftutnm! 
bid)  on6  Sei(  unb  frage  ntd)t  :  SKarutn?        10 


4. 

SBtflft  bu  tn«  Unenblic^e  fc^retten, 
nnr  im  (gnbtic^en  nad)  alien 


5. 

SBtdft  bn  bid)  am  ©an^en  erquitfen, 
(So  mngt  bu  ba^  ©an^e  im  $leinften  erbliden, 


113.    Sp 

1. 

neuen  Sd^e  ©(ltd  unb 
2Be^  unb  Sunben  gute  @a(be! 
groben  $(0^  ein  grober  ^eiU 
einen  @d)e(men  anbert^albe ! 

2. 

(Sin  $ran^  ift  gar  t)ie(  (eidjter  binben, 
511^  i^m  ein  umrbtg  §aupt  p  finben. 


130  (Seethes  <Sebid?te. 

3. 

SBiflft  bu  bir  aber  ba$  33efte  tijun, 
<So  bleib'  nid)t  auf  btr  felber  rufyn, 
©onbern  folg'  eine3  9fteifter$  (Sinn ; 
10  2)ftt  ifym  311  irren  ift  btr  ©enrinn. 

4. 

nur  ba$  9^ed)te  in  betnen  ©ac^en ; 
anbre  iutrb  fid)  tton  felber  maci)en. 

5. 

gab'  e$  feine  gro§rc  ^ein, 
2Bar'  id)  im  ^arabie^  allein. 

6. 

15  Xaufenb  gtiegen  ^att'  id)  atn  Slbenb  erfc^lagen, 

njetfte  mid)  eine  beim  frit^ften  £agen. 

7. 

unb  gar 
id)  ein  anner  3Kid)t. 

Xraume  finb  nid)t  li)al)r, 
llnb  meine  ©ebanfen  geraten  nidjt. 

8. 

in  ber  SBett  (a§t  ftc^  ertragen, 
nid)t  eine  9^eil)e  t)on  fd)iJnen  £agen. 

9. 

9^eib  unb  9Jttggnnft  fid)  tierge^ren, 
©ute  luerben  fie  nidjt  ti)e()ren. 
25  £)enn,  ®ott  fei  ^Danl!  e^  ift  ein  alter  23rand): 

bie  (Sonne  fc^eint,  fo  toeit  ernjarmt  fie  aitd). 


(Soetfyes  (5ebid?te.  131 

10. 

gaft  bit  ehvmal  ba3  $Red)te  getfjan 
Unb  fiefyt  ein  geinb  nur  @d)eele$  baran, 
@o  unrb  er  ge(egentlid),  fpa't  ober  fritlj, 
$)a$felbe  tfytm,  ev  lt)ei6  ntc^t  inte.  30 

1-1, 

So  2fnmaJ3ung  mtr  toofjf gefadt  ? 
5(n  ^inbevn :  benen  gefyort  bie  Sett. 

12. 

3ttvt  ©ebtdjt,  tnie  ^egenbogen, 
Sirb  nur  auf  bunlten  ©runb  gejogen ; 
SDarum  be^agt  bent  Dt^tergente  35 

(Element  bcr  9J?e(anc^oUe. 

13. 

bem  ^nbtifnnt  btent,  ift  etn  armeS  Xter ; 
qucttt  fid)  ab,  nientanb  bebanft  fid)  bafitr. 

14. 

gtebt,  tr>er  gteid)  giebt, 
§unbertfad)r  ber  gletd)  gtebt,  40 

man  untnfdjt  itnb  Oebt. 

15. 
,  (Sgoift  1  —  Senn  ify&  ntd)t  beffer  mufete ! 

9?eib,  ba^  ift  ber  (^goifte; 
Unb  iDct$  ic^  and)  fitr  Sege  getoffen, 
5lufnt  91etbpfab  l)abt  ifjr  mic^  nie  betroffen.       45 

16. 

^irfc^en  unb  -53eeren  befyagen, 
bu  ^inber  unb  <Sperfinge  fragen. 


132  (Soetfyes  <Sebtd?te. 

IT. 

(gntjtoei'  unb  gebiete  !   £itdjtig  28ort. 
herein'  unb  leite  ! 


18. 

50  9?idjt  grb'gent  33ortet(  tottgf  id)  ju  nennen, 

21(3  be3  geinbeS  5Berbienft  erlennen. 


19. 

§eute  get)  ic^.    ^omm'  id)  ttrieber, 
(Stngen  tutr  gan^  anbre  Steber. 
SSo  fo  t)ie(  fid)  fjoffen  la^t, 
55  3ft  ber  K^f^ieb  }a  ein  gcft. 

20. 

magft  bu  getDiffe  @d)riften  nid)t  tefen?" 
ift  auci)  fonft  tneine  @|)eife  geiuefen  ; 
©ft  aber  bie  ftfaupe,  fid)  emsufjrinnen, 
s^id)t  lann  fie  metyr  ^3(iittern  ©efd)ma(f  abgewinnen. 


114.    (Epigrammatifci?. 

\.    Dcmut. 

tc^  bie  Serle  ber  ^etfter  anr 
fel/  id)  ba^,  t»a§  fie  getljcm ; 
f  id)  meine  @iebenfad)en, 
@e^  ic^r  tua^  id)  ^dtf  foKen  mad)en. 

2.    Keins  non  alien. 

3Benn  bu  bid)  fetber  mad)ft  jum 
•23ebcwert  bid)  niemaub,  ge()fe  bir  fdjfedjt ; 


(Soetfyes  <5ebid?te.  133 

bu  bid)  aber  fefbft  pnt  §errn, 
£)ie  Petite  fef)n  e3  aud)  nidjt  gent; 
Unb  bleibft  bu  enblid),  nrie  bu  bift, 
@o  fagen  fie,  baft  nid)t$  an  bit  ift.  10 

3.    Bcbtngung. 

3tyr  logt  nirf)t  uac^,  il)r  bleibt  babet, 
53egel)ret  9^at,  id)  faun  if)u  geben ; 
,  bamit  id)  ruf)icj  fei, 
jt  mir,  i()tn  nid)t 


4.    Brett  urn  lang. 

SBer  befd)eiben  ift,  muj}  bulben,  15 

Unb  n>er  fred)  ift,  ber  muj$  leiben ; 
llfo  ttrirft  bu  gleid)  t»erfd)ulben, 
Ob  bu  fred)  feift,  ob  befdjeiben. 

5.  £ebensregel. 

SStttft  bu  bir  ein  Ijitbfdj  Seben  gintmevn, 

bid)  unt^  ^Bergangne  nid)t  beliunntern ;       20 
Senigfte  ntu§  bid)  uerbrie^en; 
ftet^  bie  ©egentoart  genie^en, 

leinen  9Jienfd)en  fyaffen 
Unb  bie  ,3u!unft  ®ott  itberlaffen. 

6.    ^rtfd?es  €t,  gutes  (£t. 

t^  t»ergleid)Md)  gern  25 

v  2lufter,  tnetne  tieben  §errn, 

inenn  i^r  fie  nidjt  frifd)  genoftt, 
5Bat)rl)aftig  ift  eine  fc^ted^te  toft. 
23egeiftrung  ift  leine  §ering^U)are, 

man  einpof'elt  auf  einige  Qcfyve.  30 


134  (Soetfyes  <Sebtd?te. 

7.    Das   2IIter. 

£)a3  fitter  ift  em  Ijoffief)  aJtonn  : 
(ginmal  itbers  anbre  llopft  er  an, 
2lber  nun  facjt  nietnanb  :  §erein  ! 
llnb  oor  ber  £I)itre  unit  er  ntrf)t  fetn. 
35  £)a  IHnft  er  anf,  trttt  em  fo  f^nett, 

llnb  nnn  fyeiftfs,  er  fet  ein  grober  ©efell 

8.     EGALITE. 


©ro^te  nritt  man  ntrfjt  erreirfjen, 
benetbet  nnr  feine^teic^en  ; 
fdjltmmfte  97eib()art  ift  in  ber  SBclt, 
^Der  jeben  fitr  fetneSgleidjen 


115. 

Derftirgt  mir  bie 
Xfja'tigteit! 

mad)t  fie  nnertraglic^  lang? 


bringt  in  (Scfmlben? 
§arren  nnb  bulben! 
macfyt  getcinnen? 

(ange  befinnen  ! 
bringt  gn  (Sfyren? 


116. 

unb  Seft  nnb  @iib  gcrfptittcrn, 
X^rone  berften,  $Reid)e  Bittern, 


(Soetbes  (5ebtd?te.  135 

glitcf)te  bit,  tm  reinen  Often 
^atriardjenlitft  p  foften, 
Unter  Sieben,  Xrtnlen,  ©ingen  5 

bid)  (StyiferS  Qnett  fcerjimgen. 


3)ort  tm  Retnen  unb  tm  9?ed)ten 
3BiU  id)  menfd)Uc^en  ®efcf)led)ten 
3n  be§  Urfpritncj^  Xiefe  bringen, 
So  fie  nod)  t)on  ©ott  empfingen 
§immel^le^r'  in  (Srbefpradjen 
Unb  fic^  nid)t  ben  $opf  jerbrac^en. 


So  fic^  3Sdter  fjocf)  cere^rten, 

3eben  fremben  ^ienft  uertoefyrten  ; 

Silt  mid)  freun  ber  ^UQ^bfd^ranle  :  15 

-@(anbe  tt>eit,  eng  ber  ©ebanle, 

Sie  ba3  Sort  fo  ti)id)tig  bort  mar, 

Seit  e§  ein  gefpro^en  Sort  war. 

Sid  mid)  unter  §irten  mifd)en, 

5ln  Dafen  mic^  erfrifdjen,  20 

Senn  mit  ^aratuanen  toanbte, 

(g^att)!,  ^affee  nnb  ajiofc^u^  fyanbfe  : 

3eben  ^fab  tDitt  id)  betreten 

33on  ber  Sitfte  $n  ben  ©tcibten. 


anf  nnb  nteber  25 

^roften,  §af^  beine  Sieber, 
Senn  ber  gitfyrer  mit  (Sntjittfen 


,  bie  (Sterne  jn  erttietfen 
Unb  bie  Sftanber  jn  erfc^retfen.  3° 


136  (Soetfyes  (5ebtd?te. 


in  33abern  nnb  in  ©djenten, 
geifger  §afi$,  bein  gebenfen, 
2Benn  ben  <Sd)leier  Siebdjen  litftet, 
@d)itttelnb  5ImbraIo(fen  bitftet. 
35  3a,  beS  !Dtd)ter^  SiebefUiftern 

felbft  bte  §uri^  liiftem. 


Sofltet  it)r  t^m  Meg  beneiben, 
Dber  etma  gar  tjevletben  ; 
SBiffet  nur,  bag  T)id)tern)orte 
40  Vim  be$  ^arabiefe^  ^Pforte 

3mmer  leifc  flo^fenb  fdjmeben, 
erbittenb  ett'geS  Seben. 


117. 

ntc^t  Dor  bent  Xage  ffiefyen ; 
T)enn  ber  Xag,  ben  bu  eretteft, 
3ft  ntd)t  beffer  at^  ber  ^enf ge ; 
5Iber  n)enn  bit  fro^  uertDeUeft, 
2Bo  id)  ntir  bie  Selt  befeifge, 
llm  bte  Selt  an  mid)  $n  ^ie^en, 
^3ift  bn  g(etd)  mit  mir  geborgen : 
§ent  ift  Ijente,  morgen  morgen, 
Unb  tt>a§  folgt  nnb  ti)a§  uergangen, 
$Hetgt  nic^t  ^in  nnb  btetbt  nic^t  ^angen. 
53(eibe  bn,  mein  2Hferliebfte$ ; 
!iDenn  bn  bringft  e$  nnb  bn  giebft  e$. 


(Soetfjes  (Sebic^te.  137 


118. 

3ff  3  moglid),  bag  id),  £iebd)en,  bid)  fofe, 
23erneljme  ber  gottlidjen  @ttmme 
llnmog(id)  fcfyeint  intnter  bie  Sftofe, 
Unbegretflid)  bte 


119. 

ift  (teblid)  an 

aber  frfjon  bie  SBcIt  ber  Dieter; 
btmten,  ^eflen  obcr  fitbergraucn 
©eftlben,  £ag  unb  5^ad)t,  ergtanjen  Std)ter. 
geut  ift  tnir  atle^  ()errltd) ;  menu's  nur  bttebe ! 

ber  £tebe. 


120. 

,  ^iebdjen,  lomm  !  umtrtnbe  tnir  bte 
beiner  §anb  nnr  ift  ber  Xnlbenb  fc^on. 
bod)r  anf  3ran«  ^od)ftem  @tfee, 
nid)t  jterlid)er  nmtDtnben  fe^n! 


(5tn  Xnlbenb  mar  ba$  SBanb,  ba^  5lle^anbern 
3n  @d)letfen  fd)on  bom  §aupte  fiel 
Unb  alien  golgefyerrfdjern,  jenen  anbern, 
2(1$  ^ontg^^ierbe  mo^I  geftel. 


(gin  £nlbenb  ift^,  ber  nnfem  ^aifer  fdjntitrfet, 
@ie  nennen^  tone.    9^ante  gefyt  mo^l  ^in! 
3u»el  nnb  $er(e  !  fei  ba^  5lng'  ent^Met  ! 
fdjonfte  &tf)mnd  ift  ftets  ber  3JhtjfcIuu 


138  (Soetfjes  (Sebicfyte. 

Unb  biefen  fyier,  ganj  rein  unb  filberftreifig, 
Umtombe,  £iebd)en,  urn  bie  @tirn  wnljer. 
15         2Ba3  ift  benn  §of)ett?  3Ktr  tft  fie  gelanfig! 
£)n  fcfyanft  mid)  an,  id)  bin  fo  groft  al$  er« 


121. 

(Sin  ^aifer  ^atte  gwei  $affiere, 

^um  9le^menr  einen  gnnt  ©penben ; 

fiel'S  nnr  fo  an§  ben  §anben, 
.$ener  it)ngte  nic^t,  inol)er  jn  nefymen. 
5          !Der  ^penbenbe  ftarb  ;  ber  §errf^er  mngte  nic^t 
Sent  ba^  ©eberamt  fei  anjnttertranen, 
llnb  it)ie  man  lanm  tfya't'  nnt  fid)  fd)auenr 
@o  nwr  ber  97el)mer  nnenblic^  reid) ; 
SO^an  tDU^te  faitm  Dor  ($o(b  ^u  (eben, 
10         Seit  man  einen  Xag  nid)t§  au§gegeben. 
£)a  n?arb  nun  erft  bem  $atfer  liar, 
Sag  fc^ulb  an  allem  Unveil  mar. 

fa^  wuftt'  er  ir>o^(  j 
ie  luieber  bie  @teUe  jn  befe^en* 


122. 

ift  fdjtoer  ^u  Derbergen?   T)a§  gener! 
£)enn  bei  Xage  Dcrrfifd  ber  SHand), 
^3ei  9^ad)t  bie  glamme,  ba$  Unge^ener. 
gcrncr  ift  fd)tt>er  gn  Derbergen  and) 
Siebe;  nod)  fo  ftifle  ge^egt, 
bod)  gar  leid)t  an^  ben  2(ngen  fd)Iagt. 


'(Soetfjes  <5ebtd?te.  139 

2lnt  fdjtterften  311  bergen  ift  etn  ®ebtd)t; 

2ftan  fteftt  e$  untern  @cfjeffel  nicfyt. 

§at  e§  ber  £)id)ter  frtfdj  gefnngen, 

©o  ift  er  gan^  bat)on  burdjbrnngen ;  10 

§at  er  e$  gierlid),  nett  gefdjrteben, 

mil  err  bte  gan^e  SBcft  foil's  Kcbcn. 

@r  Heft  e^  jebem  fro1^  unb  (autr 

Ob  e8  unS  qudlt,  ob  e^  erbaut 


123. 

Unb  boc^  ^aben  fie  red)t,  bte  ic^  fdjette: 
T)enn  bag  em  Sort  ntd)t  etnfad)  gelte, 
mit^te  fid)  tt>ol)l  non  fe(bft  tierfte^n. 
SKort  ift  ein  ga'djer!    3nnfd)en  ben  @taben 

ein  ^aar  fd)one  5(ngen  I)ert)or.  5 

£)er  gad)er  ift  nur  ein  tieblidjer  glor, 
(gr  tierbecft  mtr  gtDar  ba^  ®efid)t, 

er  nid)t, 
fie  bcfifet, 
,  tnr  in 


124. 


tt)irb  t»on  ber  SBett  Derlangen, 
fie  felbft  uermigt  nnb  trdumct, 
9ftt<fttwrt8  ober  fettmarts  bltctenb 
@tet«  ben  2^ag  be^  2:ag§  tjerfd'nmet? 
3fyr  ^3emit^n,  i^r  gnter  Side 
©inft  nnr  nac^  bent  rafc^en  ^eben, 
Unb  was  bn  uor  ^afyren  bran^teft, 
fie  bir  fyente  geben. 


140  (Soetfjes  (5cbtd?te. 

125. 

£)ie  ^perfe,  Me  ber  9ftufcf)el  entrann, 
£)ie  fdjonfte,  Jjodjgeboreti, 
3nm  .gutoelier,  bem  guten  907ann, 
(Sprad)  fie:   $d)  bin  fcerforen! 
5  £)urd)bol)rft  bu  mid),  mein  fdjcine^  W, 

<g$  ift  fog(eid)  gcrritttet, 
aKtt  <gdjtt>eftertt  mug  id),  gad  fitr  gall, 
3u  fd)(ed)ten  fctn  gefitttet. 

,,3!d)  benle  jcfet  nur  an  ®  em  inn, 
10  <Du  mu§t  e^  mir  Dergetf)cn : 

£)enn  luenn  id)  ()ier  nid)t  cjrcmfam  bin, 
foil  bie  @d)nur  fid)  vetljen?" 


126.    Qatem. 

e(et3ent)eit  mad)t 
@ie  ift  felbft  ber  grogte  !Dieb; 
£)enn  fie  fta^I  ben  ^Reft  ber  Siebe, 
mir  nocf)  im  vgeqen  blieb. 


fyat  fie  t()n  iibergeben, 
£eben$  33oIIgeii)inn, 
id)  nnn,  Derartnt,  mein  I'eben 
t)on  bir    e^arti    bin. 


id)  fitfyle  fd)on  Srbarmen 
10  3m  tarfunfct  beine^  «Blicfd 

Unb  erfren'  in  beinen  Airmen 
ernenerten 


(Soetfjcs  (5cbid?tc.  141 

127. 


2ln  t)ot(en  2 
©eliebte,  fief)  nur  fytn! 
£af$  btr  bie  gritdjte  geigett, 
itmfdjafet  ftadjlig  grim. 

@ie  fyangen  Icingft  gebattet, 
@ttl(,  imbefatmt  mtt  ftc^, 
@m  5lft,  bcr  fdjcmtelttb  \uattet, 
3S5tegt  fie  gebulbtgttd). 


tmmer  reift  t»on  innett 
Unb  fd)ti)t((t  ber  braune  Stern, 
@r  mo(i)te  V^uft  geiumnen 
Unb  |a^  bte  ^Sonne  gern. 


£)te  @d)a(e  ptat^t,  nnb  nteber 

9JZa(^t  er  fid)  freubtg  Io3; 

@o  fallen  meine  Steber  15 

®ef)tinft  in  beinen  @d)o§. 


128. 


man  mir  @ut^  eqetgr,  itberaK 
ift  eine  g(afd)e  Pilfer, 

unb  Oftain,  int  5)?ecfartt)a(, 
bringt  mir  ltid)etnb  Pilfer. 
llnb  nennt  gar  mandjen  bratien 

feltner  afe  ben  ©lifer  : 
er  ber  9Jienfc^^ett  ino^l  getfyan, 
3ft  immer  no(^  !ein  ©lifer. 


142  (Seethes  (5ebid?te. 

£)ie  gnten  gitrften  nennt  man  fo, 
10  33einafye  tone  ben  (Stlfer; 

Un$  madden  iljre  Xljaten  frol), 

(gte  teben  fyorf)  int  Grtlfer. 
Unb  mandjen  sJtomen  nenn'  id)  lei$, 

@titt  fc^oppetnb  metnen  Pilfer: 
15  @te  iDeig  e$,  tcenn  e^  nientanb  meig 

3)a  frfjmetft  mir  erft  ber  Pilfer. 
5Son  metnen  £tebern  fpred)en  fie 
gaft  ritl)inlid)  iwe  uom  (Silfer, 
Unb  ^3(nm'  nnb  3^e^9e  ^ret^cn  fie 
20  2ftid)  Iranjenb  nnb  ben  (Silfer. 

lle^  iDdr'  etn  grb^ve^  §ett,  - 
teilte  gern  ben  Grtlfer  - 
§afi«  and)  nnr  feinen  Xeit 
llnb  fdjlnrfte  mit  ben  (Silfer. 
25  35rum  eilMd)  in  ba^  ^arabie§r 

3Bo  letter  nte  tiom  (Stlfer 
©Iciub'gen  trinfen.    @ei  er  fitg, 
^ein  (Silfer. 
eile  ^in! 
30  £)a  ftetjt  ein  Corner  (Stlfer. 


129. 

garftige 
but)(erifd)e, 
SBelt  l^eijt  man  fie, 
Ofttd)  I)at  fie  betrogen, 
2Bie  bte  itbrigen  alle. 


(Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte.  143 

©faube  nafym  fie  mir  tt>ecj, 
£)ann  bte  §offnung 

too  lite  fie 
bie  gtebe, 
rig  id)  au$*  10 

geretteten  @c^a^ 

ett)tg  311  fidjern, 
Xeitt'  idj  it)n  ineMid) 
,3tt)if(^en  ©iiletfa  unb  ©aft. 
3ebeg  ber  beiben  15 

33eeifert  fid)  um  bte  SBette, 
§o^ere  ^infen  gu  entrid)ten. 
Unb  id)  bin  reiser  a(^  je : 
2)en  ©lauben  ^ab'  id)  uneber ! 
3(n  i()re  Siebe  ben  @(auben;  20 

"(Sr,  int  ^Bed)er,  gewaljrt  nttr 
efitf)(  ber 

tnill  ba  bie  §offnttng! 


13O. 

£)e$  SWaurcr«  Sanbeln, 
@«  cjtetc^t  bem  Seben, 
Unb  fein  ^Beftreben, 
(g$  gteic^t  bem  §anbeln 
S^enfdjen  anf  (Srben. 


nnb 
bem 

nngefdjredet 
£)ringen  wit  bortnart^  10 


144  (Soetfyes  <5ebid?te. 

Unb  f  djtoer  unb  fdjmerer 
£wngt  eine  §itfte 
(Sf)rfurd)t.    ©tilte 
oben  bte  (Sterne 
15  llnb  iwtett  bte  ©rciber. 

^3etrad)f  fie  genauer, 
llnb  fie^e,  fo  melben 
33u[en  ber  §elben 
ttcmbelttbe 
20  llnb  ernfte  ©efufyle. 


rufen  Don  britben 
£)te  ®ttmmen  ber  ©etfter, 
(Stimmen  ber  SJieifter 

ntd)t  p  uben 
25  trdfte  be 


§ier  flecf)ten  fief)  kronen 

3n  etDtger  ©tide, 
follen  mtt  gitlle 
Xf)dttgen  lotjnen! 

Sir  ^ei^en  eud)  fyoffen. 


131.    Den  6,  3uni  1(81(6. 

t?erfud)ftr  o  @onne,  t»ergeben$, 

bie  bitftern  So(!en  $u  fd)einen! 
gan^e  ©eminn  meme« 
3ft,  i^ren  33er(nft  gn  bemeinen. 


(Soetfyes  (Sebicfyte.  145 


132.    Hn  Uleyanfcer  von 

SBetmar,  ben  12.  ^uni  1816. 

5ln  £rauertagen 

©elangte  311  mir  bein  fjerrlid)  geft! 

($3  fdjien  ju  fagen: 

(grmanne  bid)  gu  frofjlidjem  ©efcfyaft! 

Bett  in  atten  f3one 

ettrigen,  betDegltdjen 

ttwfeteft  bu  ja  fonft  git 
(5rt)ettre  fo  burd)  mic^  bein  fdjtoer  bcbrangt  ©entiit  ! 


133. 

§erein,  o  bn  ®uter!  bn  ^Iter,  l)erein! 
gier  nnten  im  (Saate  ba  finb  unr  adetn, 
^5ir  iDotien  bie  ^Pforte  berfc^tie^en. 
®tc  Gutter,  fie  betet,  ber  S3atcr  im  gain 
3ft  gangen,  bie  Sblfe  ^u  fdjieften. 
D,  fing  un§  ein  Sftardjen,  o,  fing  e^  un$  oft, 
!Da§  ic^  nnb  ber  33rnber  e^  (erne; 
Sir  fyaben  fd)on  la'ngft  einen  danger  gefyofft  - 
^inber,  fie  fyb'ren  e^  gerne. 


nad)tltd)en  <Sd)rerfen,  im  feinblidjen  ®ran§         10 
er  ba§  t)ol)e,  ba^  fyerrlicfye  gan^, 
a^e,  bie  fyat  er  tiergraben. 
!l)er  ®raf  nun  fo  eilig  gum  'Pfortdjen  fytnauS, 
mag  er  im  2lrme  benn  ^aben? 
birget  er  unter  bent  Mantel  gefd)tt)inb?  15 

tragt  er  fo  rafd)  in  bie  gerne? 
(Sin  £od)ter(em  ift  e«,  ba  fdjtaft  nun  ba3  ^inb  - 
!l)ie  $inber,  fie  ^oren  e§  geme, 


146  (Soetfjes  <Sebtd?te. 


Ijeflt  fid)  bcr  3ftorgen,  bic  SBelt  ift  fo  »eii, 
20         $n  Xfyalern  unb  2Ba(bern  bie  2Bofmung  bereit, 
-3n  £)b'rfern  erquicft  man  ben  Danger. 
<So  fdjreitet  unb  fjeifdjt  er  unbenHidje  3eit, 
£)er  33art  toadjft  ifym  (anger  nnb  (anger  ; 
X)oc^  tr>ad)ft  in  bent  5lrnte  ba^  lieblic^e 
25         2Bte  nnter  bem  glncftic^ften  @terne, 

in  bem  90^ante(  t»ov  ^Kegen  nnb 
^inber,  fie  ^oren  e^  gerne. 


Unb  immer  finb  lueiter  bie  $afyt  geriicft, 
^Der  Mantel  entfarbt  fid),  bcr  Mantel  gcrftttdt, 

30         (5r  fdnnte  fie  (anger  nidjt  faffen. 

^)er  35aterr  er  fdjant  fie,  tt)ie  ift  er  begftirf  1  1 
^r  !ann  fid)  fiir  greube  nid)t  (affen; 
@o  fdjon  unb  fo  ebe(  erfcfyeint  fie  gugteic^, 
^ntfproffen  au^  titdjtigem  ^erne, 

35         3Bte  mad)t  fie  ben  5>ater,  ben  teuren,  fo  reid)! 
^inber,  fie  fybren  e^  gerne. 


!Da  rettet  ein  fitrft(ic^er  D^itter  ^eran, 

@ie  recfet  bie  §anb  auS,  ber  ®abe  ^u  na^n, 

5l(mofen  tt)i((  er  nidjt  geben. 
40         (5r  faffet  ba^  §anbd)en  fo  frafttg(id)  an  : 

!Die  \rnii  id),  fo  ruft  er,  auf^  £eben! 

(Srfennft  bu,  ermibert  ber  TOe,  ben 

@r§cbft  bu  jur  giirftin  fie  gerne; 

<Sie  fet  bir  t)er(obet  auf  grimenbem 
45         !Die  ^inber,  fie  (jb'ren  e^  gerne. 

fegnet  ben  ^riefter  am  l^eiligen  Drt, 
8uft  unb  mit  IMuft  nun  ^ie()et  fie  fort, 


(Seethes  <Sebtd?te.  147 


@te  mocfyte  fcom  SBater  nid)t  fdjeiben. 

£)er  2Hte,  er  ftanbelt  nnn  fyier  unb  batb  bort, 

($r  traget  in  grenben  fein  £eiben.  5° 

(So  I)ab;  id)  mir  3^'e  bic  £od)ter  gebadjt, 

^)ie  (Snlelein  tno^l  in  ber  gerne  ; 

@ie  fegn;  id)  bei  Xager  fie  fegn;  id)  bei  9^ac^t  - 

£)ie  Winter,  fie  l)oren  e$  gernc. 

(5r  fegnet  bie  Winter  ;  ba  poltert^  am  Xt)or,  55 

2)er  ^Bater,  ba  ift  er  !    @ie  f^ringen  fyerfcor, 
@ie  fonnen  ben  5llten  nidjt  bergen  - 
3Ba^  locfft  bn  bie  flmber!  bn  pettier!  bn  Xtjor! 
(Srgreift  i()n,  i^r  eifernen  @d)ergen  ! 
^um  tiefften  23erlie$  ben  33ent)egenen  fort!  60 

£)ie  Gutter  uernhnmt^  in  ber  gerne, 
@ie  eile't,  fie  bittet  tnit  fc^meid)etnbem  3Bort  - 
$inber,  fie  l)dren  e^  gerne. 


3)ie  @(^ergen,  fie  (affen  ben  Sitrbigen  fte^n, 

llnb  3}hitter  unb  $inber,  fie  bitten  fo  fd)dn  ;  65 

X)er  fitrftiid)e  @tol^e  uerbei^et 

S)tc  grimmige  3But,  i{)n  entritftet  ba^  gte^n, 

^3i^  enb(id)  fein  @d)tt)eigen  ^erreijet  : 

!Du  niebrige  33rut!  bn  t>om  ^3ettlergefd)(ec^t  1 

^Berfinfternng  furftKc^er  Sterne  I  70 

-Styr  bringt  mir  35erberben  !  ®cf  d)ie^t  mir  bod)  redjt  — 

£)ie  tinber,  fie  l)dren;^  nid)t  gerne. 


fte^et  ber  Kte  mit 
eifernen  (Sdjergett,  fie  treten 
inad)ft  nnr  ba6  3:oben  nnb  kitten.  75 


148  (Beetles  (Sefctcfyte. 

@d)on  Icmge  berfludjf  id)  mem  efyftdjeS  ©IM, 
finb  nun  bie  gritdjte  ber  33(itten! 
(eugnete  ftets,  imb  man  (eugnet  mit  Sftecfyt, 
je  fief)  ber  2lbe(  erlerne, 
80         £)ie  33ettlerin  ^eugte  mir  23ett(ergefd)(ed)t  - 
,  fie  fyoren'3  nid)t  gerne. 


llnb  tt>enn  enc^  ber  @atte,  ber  $ater 
^)te  ()ei(tgften  -^anbe  berwegentltd)  (6ft, 
®o  fommt  jn  bem  33aterr  bem  5l^nen  ! 
85         T)er  Pettier  tiermag,  fo  ergraut  nnb  entblojt, 
I)err(id)e  28ege  jn  bal)nen. 
^3nrg,  bie  ift  meine  1    £)u  fyaft  fie  geranbt, 
trieb  bein  ®efd)(ed)t  in  bie  gerne  ; 
bin  ic^  mit  foftlidjen  @iegeln  beg(anbt  !  — 
90         £ne  £inberr  fie  l)6ren  e3  gerne. 


$Red)tma'6iger  ^onig,  er  fefyret 
!Den  Xreuen  t)er(ei^t  er  entmenbeteS 
3c^  (6fe  bie  Sieget  ber  ©c^a^e. 
@o  rnfet  ber  TOe  mit  freunblid^em 
95         (Suc^  !imb'  id)  bie  mitben  ©efe^e. 

(Sr^o(e  bid),  @of)n  1    (5§  entmicfett  fi^  gut, 
§eut  einen  fid)  felige  (Sterne, 
£)ie  gitrftin,  fie  jeugte  bir  fitrftUd)e^ 
Stinbev,  fie  ^oren  e^  gerne. 


134.    Urn 

llm  9JJitternad)t  ging  id),  nid)t  eben  gerne, 
$(ein,  flcmcr  ^nabe,  jenen  ^ird)^of  l)in 


(Soetfyes  (Sebicfyte.  149 


3u  23ater3  gwnS,  be$  ^farrerS  ;  (Stern  am  <Sterne, 
@ie  leucfyteten  bod)  atfe  gar  311  fcfyon  ; 
Urn  3ttttternaef)t. 

2Benn  id)  bann  ferner  in  be$  £eben$  2Beite 
,3nr  Stebften  mu^te,  mu^te,  tt>et(  fie  ^og, 
^eftirn  unb  9^orbfd)ein  itber  mir  im  (Streite, 
geljenb,  lommenb  ©eligleiten  fog  ; 
Urn  3Jfitternadjt. 


bann  autey  be^  DoKcn  sJJ?onbe^  ©ette 
flar  unb  beiitltd)  mir  in§  gtnftere  brang, 
ber  ®eban?e  totflig,  finnig,  fd)nel(er 
(Sid)  nm$  SSergangne  luie  nm^  ^imftige  fdjtang  ; 

Urn  3)litternad)t.  15 


135.    Un  ^raulein  t>on  Sctjiller. 

®  en  10.  2luguft  1819. 

fo  t)ie(  gu  fagen  tt>ar, 
id)  nid)t^  gn  fagen, 
Db  bie  Blotter  gteic^  ein  3<af)r 
Dorm  5luge  lagen. 


,  ba  bu  fie  entfiifyrt, 
bie  geber  inalten  ; 

§  bletbt,  ftrie  fid);§  gebii^rt, 
^mmerfort  beim  2Uten. 


um  SSerftanbIid)e.n 
SKirb  bie  Gutter  ma^nen,  10 

X)entenb  pm  llnenblic^en 


150  (5oetfjes  <Sebtd?te. 


136. 


§eute  ftel)'  id)  tneine  2Bad)e 


tj}  ntd)t  grabe,  tt)ie  id);3  macfye, 
$ommft  mtr  fo  t>erbdcf)ttg  t>or  I 


Ob  bu  unfent 

5lud)  recf)t  etgentlirf) 

Ob  bein  ^dmpfen,  bein  ^erbienett 

!Did)  an^  ^arabie^  gefanbt? 


3af)lft  bit  bic^  311  jenen  §elben? 
10  3e^9e  ^e^e  S3unben  an, 

£)te  mir  9?ii()m(tc^eg  Dermelben, 
Unb  ic^  fit^rc  bid)  (jeran. 

Z>  i  cf)  t  c  r. 

<ftid)t  fo  Dieted  gebertefen! 
2a§  mid)  immer  nur  Ijeretn  : 
15  £)enn  tc^  bin  etn  9}?enfd)  gett)efen, 

Unb  bag  fyeifjt  em  ^cimpfer  fein. 


<Sd)(ivfe  betne  fraffgen 
gier  burd)fd)aue  biefe 
@tef)  ber  ^ebengiuunben  £itcfe, 
ber  Siebegtuunben  Shift! 


Unb  bod)  fang  ic^  g(aub'gertr>eife  : 
mir  bie  ©eliebte  treu, 
bie  2Bettr  tuie  fie  and)  freife, 
nnb  banfbar  fet. 


(Soetfyes  (Sebicfyte.  151 

ben  £refflid)ften  gufammcn  25 

id),  bt$  id)  mir  erlangt, 
mem  9?am'  in  SiebeSflammen 
23on  ben  fcfyonften  $eqen 


bn  ttmfylft  ntdjt  ben  ©enngern  1 
@teb  bte  §anbr  baft  £ag  fitr  Xa$  30 

-3d)  an  betnen  Batten  gtngern 
(£un'g!etten  ja'^Ien  ntag. 


137.    Cuft  nnb  OJual. 

Jlnabe  fa^  ic^,  gifcfyerfnabe, 

5lnf  bent  fd)ti)arsen  get^  im 

llnb  bereitenb  falfc^e  ®abe, 

(Sang  tc^,  laufdjenb  ring§  nmfyev. 

5lnge(  fd)tr>ebte  (odenb  nteber  ; 

©tetc^  ein  gifcfjiein  ftreift  nnb  fcfynappt, 


Unb  ba$  gtfd)(ein  war  ertappt. 

5ld)  !  am  Uferr  bnrd)  bte  glnren, 

^n^  ©eftitfte  ttef  ^um  §a^n/  I0 

gotgf  id)  etnev  ©o^(e  @pnren, 

llnb  bie  §irtin  war  adein. 

ftnfen,  SKorte  ftocfen  !  - 

ein  Xafdjenmeffer  fd)napptr 

e  pc  mid)  in  bie  Soden,  15 

llnb  ba3  ^Biibdjen  war  ertappt. 


@ottr  mtt  wetdjem  §irten 
anf^  nene  fid)  ergefyt  1 


152  (5oetf?es  (5ebtd?te. 


id)  in  ba$  2Jteer  mid)  gitrten, 
20  $Me  e$  fanfet,  line  e$  toefyt. 

28enn  mid)  oft  im  9te}3e  jammert 
©eir»imme(  groj}  unb  flein, 

mod)t?  id)  nod)  nmHammert 
tion  ifyren  3lrmen  fein! 


138. 

SKenn  id)  anf  bem  S^arlte 
£)nrd)3  ©ebriinge 
Unb  ba§  l)itbfd)e  3ftabd)en  fe^ 
$n  ber  9J/engc  ; 
@e()'  id)  ()ier,  fie  fommt  Ijeran, 
Slber  britben  ; 

9]temanb  fie^t  un^  beiben  an, 
tuir  (ieben. 


,5l(ter,  l)b'rft  bu  nod)  nic^t  auf  ! 


Qn  bem  jungen  Seben^Iauf 
ein  ®atl)d)en. 
jcfet  ben  Xag  Derfiijjt? 
;«  mit  f  larljcit." 

15  ©e^t  nur  l)tn,  lute  fie  mid) 

(5*  ift  bie 


fltngft  tooriiber?    SKie!  id)  faJ)  bic^  nid)t ; 
famft  juriirf,  bid)  fyab'  id)  ntd)t  gefel)en  - 


(Soetfyes  (Sebicfytc.  153 

23erlorner,  unglitcffefger  2(ugenbiic!! 

id)  benn  blinb?    Sie  foil  ntir  bas  gefcfjefyen? 


£)od)  triJff  id)  mid),  unb  bit  t»eqeif)ft  ntir  gern, 
(Sntfdjulbigung  luirft  bu  mil  greube  finben  ; 
3d)  fe^e  bid),  btft  bu  aud)  nod)  fo  fern  ! 
Unb  in  ber  9?alje  fannft  bn  mir 


140. 

Unb  iuenn  ber  sDJenfd)  in  fetner  Dual  Derftummt, 
©ab  mtr  etn  ©ott  ju  fagen,  loa§  tc^  leibe. 

foil  id)  nnn  Dom  3Bteberfe()en  Ijoffen, 
biefe^  Xage§  nod)  gefd)(o^ner  ^Bli'tte? 
^arabie§r  bie  §olle  fte^t  bir  offen; 
toanfelfinnig  regt  fid)7^  im  ®emittc  !  - 
3^etfe^  ttie^r!    ®ie  trttt  an^ 
i()ren  Airmen  Ijebt  fie  bid)  empor. 


luarft  bu  benn  im  ^arabie^  empfangen, 
toarft  bu  inert  be^  ewtg  fd)b'nen  Seben^  ; 
btieb  tein  2Bunfd),  fein  §offen,  lein  23erlangen, 

ar  ba^  3^e^  ^e$  inntgften  ^3eftreben§, 
Unb  in  bent  Slnfcfjaun  biefe^  ein^ig  Sc^onen 
SSerfiegte  gleid)  ber  -Quell  fefynfitdjtiger 


regte  nid)t  ber  Xag  bie  rafrfjen 
<£>d)ien  bie  TOnuten  t>or  fic^  l)er  ju  treiben! 
!Der  5lbenblu^,  ein  treu  tierbinblic^  ©iegel:  15 

@o  n)irb  e§  and)  ber  nad)ften  @onne  bleiben. 
!Die  (Stunben  glicfyen  fid)  in  ^artem  SSanbern 

©c^tneftern  stnar,  bod)  feine  gan^  ben  anbem. 


154  (Soetfyes  <Sebid?te. 


£)er  $tt§,  bet*  (etste,  graufam  fitjj,  gerfdjneibenb 
20         (gin  fyerrltdjeS  ©epecfjt  berfdjlungner  TOnnen. 

9?un  eilt,  nun  ftocft  ber  gufj,  bie  (Sdjttelfe  meibenb, 
21(3  trieb'  em  (£()erub  flammenb  ifyn  t)on  fyinuen; 
£)a3  2luge  ftarrt  auf  bitftrem  ^fab  berbroffen, 
@*  Midt  surittf,  bte  ^Pforte  ftel)t 


25         Unb  nun  derfdjloffett  in  fid)  fetbft,  al3  I)dtte 
erj  fic^  nie  geoffnet,  felige  @tunben 
jebent  ©tern  beS  g)imme(§  urn  bte  Sette 
2ln  t^rer  ©ette  lendjtenb  nidjt  empfnnben  ; 
Unb  3J?i^mut,  $Heue,  35onD 
30         ^Belaften^  nun  in  fdjtmtter 


3ft  benn  bie  2Be(t  nidjt  itbrig  ?  ge(fenit>tinber 
@inb  fie  nid)t  mefyr  gelrdnt  t»on  ^eiligen  @d)atten? 
£)ie  (5rnte,  reift  fie  ntd)t  ?   (Sin  grim  ©elanbe, 
3ie^t  fid/3  ntd)t  I)tn  am  gtug  burd)  «ufd)  unb  fatten? 
35         Unb  tootbt  fid)  nic^t  ba3  itbertteltlid)  ©ro^e, 
©eftartenreidje,  balb  ©eftaltentofe  ? 

2Bte  Ieid)t  unb  gierlid),  Har  unb  ^art  geiwoben, 

letc^,  au3  ernfter  Sol!e 
,  am  b(auen  3It()er  broben 

40         (5in  fc^tanf  @ebi(b  au3  Iicf)tem  £)uft  em^or  ; 
@o  fa^ft  bu  fie  in  frofyem  Xange  toalten, 
Iteblidjfte  ber  Itebltdjften  ©eftaften. 


nur  SJJomente  barfft  bid)  unteminben, 
^in  ?uftgebt(b  ftatt  i()rer  feft3u()a(ten  ; 
45         3n3  §er^  gururf,  bort  tDtrft  bu'3  beffer  finben, 
regt  fie  fic^  in  it»ed)felnben  ®efta(ten; 


(5oetf?es(5ebtd?te.  155 

bielen  bitbet  eine  fidj  l)initber, 
tanfenbfad)  tmb  immer,  tmmer  lieber. 

^nnt  (Sntpfang  fie  an  ben  ^Pforten  tuettte 
Unb  mid)  Don  banncmf  ftufentt)ei$  begtiicfte;  50 

<SeIbft  nad)  bent  le^ten  ^n§  mid)  nod)  ereifte, 

(e^teften  mir  cmf  bte  Stppen  britcfte: 
liar  beiDegltd)  bleibt  ba§  ^Btlb  ber  Steben, 

glammenfd)rtft  in^  trene  §erg  gefc^rteben. 


<*$  feft  iDte  gtnnen^o^e  sJJJauer  55 

i^r  betnaljrt  nnb  fie  in  fid)  beftialjret, 
fie  fid)  freut  an  feiner  eignen  Danerr 
tuet^  tion  fid),  toenn  fie  fid)  offenbaret, 
freier  fit^tt  in  fo  geliebten  @d)ran!en 
llnb  nnr  nod)  fdjla'gt,  fitr  a(Ie§  i^r  jn  banf'en.  60 


ga'^igleit  ^n  lieben,  ttor  ^3ebitrfen 
©egenltebe  tt)egge(ofd)t,  t>erfd)tt)nnben  ; 
3ft  §offnung^tuft  jn  freubigen  Sntinurfen, 
(Sntfc^Utffen,  rafd)er  Xfyat  fog(etd)  gefunben! 
3Kenn  Siebe  je  ben  ^iebenben  begeiftet,  65 

SBarb  e^  an  mir  anf^  (iebUd)fte  geteiftet; 

Unb  jtnar  bnrd)  fie  !  —  Sie  lag  ein  innreS  ^3angen 
@etft  nnb  £orper,  nnuiidfommner  (gdjniere  : 
8d)anerbilbern  ring§  ber  ^3Ucf  nmfangen 
-3m  tuitften  D^anm  beKommner  geqen^leere  ;  70 

9^nn  bdmmert  §offnung  Don  betannter  @d)tt>efle, 
@te  felbft  erfd)eint  in  milber  @onnenf)etle. 


grieben  ©otte§,  \t>eld)er  end)  ^ienieben 
at§  3Sernnnft  befeliget  —  tmr 


156  .  (Soetfyes  (Sebtcfyte. 

75         33ergletcy  id)  tt>of)l  ber  Siebe  fyettent  grieben 
$n  @egentt>art  be$  attgeliebten  SefenS; 
Da  rnf)t  ba§  §erg,  nnb  nid)t$  tiermag  gn  ftoren 
tiefften  ©inn,  ben  @inn,  ifyr  gu  ge^oren. 


3n  imferS  -53ufen§  ^Retne  tuogt  em  ©treben, 
80         ©id)  einem  §otjern,  Sftemem,  itnbet'annten 
3lu§  Dan!barfeit  freiwtUig  fjhigugeben, 
(Sntrdtfelnb  fic§  ben  etuig  Ungenannten; 

Ijetgen^  :  fromm  fetn!  —  @o(d)er  fettgen 
!'  id)  ntic^  tetl^aft,  iDenn  id)  &or  i()r  ftetje. 


85         33or  i^rem  ^Blitf,  iuie  t>or  ber  <Sonne 

3Sor  t^rem  5ltem,  one  t>or  grii^ling^Iitften, 
^erfdjtni^t,  fo  langft  fic^  eifig  ftarr  geljalten, 
£)er  eelbftfinn  tief  in  tt)inter(idjen  ©ritften; 
£ein  (Sigennu^  fein  Sigemnilte  bauert, 

90         3Sor  i^rem  ^'ommen  finb  fie  toeggefdjauert 


(S§  ift,  a($  tt)enn  fie  fogte  :  ,,@tunb'  um 
2Ctrb  un^  bas  s^eben  freunb(td)  bargeboten, 
©eftrige  (iej  un^  geringe  ^unber 
9}?orgenbe,  311  njiffcn  iff  «  fcerboten  ; 
95         Unb  tuenn  id)  je  mid)  toor  bent  Slbenb  fd)eute, 
©onne  fan!  nnb  fal)  noc^,  tt)a§  mid)  freute. 


t^n  tnie  ic^  unb  fd)ane,  fro^  tierftiinbig, 
Dem  Slugenblirf  in^  5tnge!    l^ein  3Serfd)ieben  ! 
33egegn'  i^m  fc^neK,  n)ol)ln)ol(enb  tt)ie  (ebenbig, 
ioo        Qm  §anbeln  fei?6  jnr  S^^ube,  fei;^  bent  Sieben; 
sJhir  tt)o  bit  bift,  fei  al(e$,  immer  linblid), 
@o  bift  bn  afteS,  bift  nnubeminblic^." 


(Seethes  (5cbtd?tc.  157 

fyaft  gut  reben,  bad)t'  id),  3  urn  @e(ette 
bir  cm  @ott  bte  ®nnft  be$  2lngenbli<to, 
llnb  jeber  fiil)(t  an  beiner  fyolben  <Seite  105 

@tdj  5(ngenbitcl3  ben  ®imftling  be$  ©efdjideS; 
fcfyrecft  ber  SBtnf,  fcon  bir  mid)  311  entfcrnen, 
l)Uft  e§  mir,  fo  ^o^e  5Bei^eit  lernen! 


bin  id)  fern!    3)er  Je^igen  Minute, 
^iemt  benn  ber?    -3d)  tintpf  e8  nid)t  ^u  fagen; 
bietet  mir  gnm  @d)i)nen  mand)e§  ©nte, 
faftet  nnr,  id)  mng  mic^  ifym  entfd)lagen  ; 
treibt  nm()er  em  unbejunngttc^  @el)nen, 
bleibt  !ein  $Rat  al^  gren^enlofe  £f)ranen. 


quettt  benn  fort  I  nnb  flie^et  nnauf^altfam  ;          115 
nie  gelting'S,  bie  innre  ®(ut  gu  bampfen  I 
n  raft?6  nnb  retjt  in  meiner  ^Bruft  geinaltfam, 
3Tob  nnb  Seben  graufenb  fid)  befdmpfen. 

^riinter  giib%  be^  ^drper^  Qna(  jn  ftitten; 
SlUein  bent  ®eift  fefjit^  am  (Sntfdjlufe  nnb  SBitten,     120 


am  ^3egriff:  inte  fodf  cr  fie  nenniffen? 
tniebert)ott  itjr  33ilb  ^n  taufenbmaten. 

gaubcrt  balb,  batb  inirb  e^  ineggeriffen, 
Unbeittlid)  je^t  nnb  je^t  im  retnften  ©tra^Ien; 

liinnte  bie§  geringftem  Xrofte  frommen,  125 

nnb  glut,  ba§  ©el)en  nne  ba^  Hommen? 


mid)  I)ier,  getrene  SBeggenoffen ! 
mid)  alfein  am  ge(^,  in  3)^oor  nnb 
immer  jn!  end)  ift  bie  3Be(t  erfdjtoffen, 
(Srbe  ineitr  ber  §tmmel  Ijefyr  nnb  gro§ ;  130 


158  (Soctfyes  (Bebicfytc. 

33etrad)tet,  forfdjt,  Me  (Sm>el()etten  fammelt, 
9?atnrgef)eimni3  iuerbe  nadjgeftammeft. 

2J?ir  ift  ba$  5(11,  id)  bin  mir  fetbft  berloren, 
£)er  id)  nod)  erft  ben  ©cittern  Siebling  luar; 
135        <£ie  priiften  mid),  uerliel)en  mir  ^anboren, 
@o  reid)  an  ©ittent,  reid)er  an  ©efafyr ; 
(go  brangten  mid)  gum  gabefeltgen  SO^unbe, 
@ie  rrennen  mid)   nnb  rid) ten  mid)  $n  ©runbe. 


141.    Sc^lof?  3elt?e^ete  in  bet  Hbenbfonne, 

Xen  21.  Sluguft  1824. 


auen    e)r  t»om 

im  ^nnern  traulid),  frot)  unb  l)olb. 
(gqeige  fid)  betn  ganje§  ^eben  fo: 

au^en  I)err(id),  innen  ^olb  unb  frol). 


142.    3il&  bes  elterlidjen 

am  fltatn. 


biefem  ^3runnen  l)aft  aud)  bu 
engen  SRaum  bie  SBeite  Dorgcfitl)tt  ; 
2Banberftab  au^  frommer  Gutter 
9toljmft  bit  getroft  in^  fernfte  Seben^tanb 
Unb  magft'nun  gern  uer(ofd)ne«  33tlb  erneun, 
erften  <2d)ritt§  bid)  freun. 


(Sine  ©cfyttieUe  I)ie6  in«  Seben 
Derfd)iebne  353ege  ge()n; 
e3  bod)  gu  eblem  (Streben, 
anf 


(Soetfyes  <Sebid?te.  159 


143. 

3m  entftett  23einf)an3  tr»ar%  tt>o  id)  befdjaute, 
Sie  @d)abe(  <Sd)abe(n  angeorbnet  patten; 
£)ie  a(te  3e^  gebad)f  id),  bie  ergrante. 
@ie  ftetm  in  $Heif)  geflemmt,  bie  fonft  fid)  fya^ten, 
Unb  berbe  $nodjen,  bie  fid)  toblidj  fd)(ngen,          5 
@ie  (iegen  freu^tr»ei^  ^a^m  airier  311  raftett. 
(Jntrenlte  @d)u(terbtcitter!    Sa^  fie  trugen, 
gragt  niemanb  me()r;  unb  jierlid)  t^afge  ®(ieber, 

§cmb,  ber  gug  jerftreut  au§  8ebett$fitgen. 
^iiben  a(fo  lagt  tiergebettS  nieber,  10 

u^  im  ®rabe  (ie§  man  eud),  fcertrieben 
(Seib  i^r  ^erauf  jitm  lidjten  Xage  inieber, 
Unb  niemanb  fann  bie  bitrre  @(^ate  (ieben, 

^errlid)  ebten  ^?ern  fie  and)  bett>af)rte. 
mir  Slbepten  toar  bie  ®d)dft  gefdjrieben,       15 
^eil'gen  @inn  nid)t  jebem  offenbarte, 
5ll§  id)  inmitten  folder  ftarren  9Dtoge 
Unfd)ii^bar  ^errtic^  ein  ©ebilb  gettia^rte, 
in  be^  StfanmeS  3Jiobcrla(f  nnb  @nge 

fret  nnb  toa'rmefitfjlenb  mic^  erqnitfte,  20 

$  ob  ein  Seben$qnett  bem  £ob  entfprange. 
mid)  geljeimniSfcolf  bie  gorm  ent^iicfte! 
gottgebadjte  @pnr,  bie  fic^  er^alten ! 
(Sin  33U<f,  ber  mic^  an  jeneS  ^eer  entritcfte, 

ffotenb  ftromt  gefteigerte  ©eftalten.  25 

©e^eirn  @efa§r  Dra!elfpriid)e  fpenbenb ! 

bin  id)  itiert,  bi(^  in  ber  §anb  jn  fatten, 
^bc^ften  @d)a^  an^  SJ^ober  fromm  entinenbenb 
llnb  in  bie  freie  8nft,  gn  freiem  @innen, 
3um  @onnen(id)t  anbai^tig  ^in  mi(^  toenbenb.       30 


160  (Soetfyes  <5ebtd?te. 


!ann  ber  !Jftenfd)  im  Seben  mefyr  geonnnen, 
3tt«  bag  fid)  ©otteRatur  ilmt  offcnbarc? 
Sie  fie  ba$  gefte  ta'gt  311  ©eift  tierrinnen, 
fie  ba^  (^etfter^eugte  fcft  betoafyre. 


144. 

®ebtcl)te  finb  gematte  genfterfdjetben  ! 
@ie^t  man  Dom  3J?arft  in  bie  ^irc^e  t)inein, 
£)a  ift  a((e^  bunfel  unb  bitfter; 
ilnb  fo  fiet)f§  and)  ber  §crr  ^()iltfter: 
>Der  mag  benn  tt)ol)(  Ocrbrie^Iic^  fein 
Unb  lebenSfancj  iierbrte^tid)  bteiben. 


aber  nnr  einmat  l)eretn! 
bie  fyeifige  ^tapeKe; 
^Da  ift'S  auf  einmel  farbig  ()e((e, 
10  ©efcfyidjf  unb  Qitwt  glan3t  in  ©cfynefte, 

^Bebeutenb  iDtrft  ein  ebler  ®d)ein  ; 
•^ie'S  tnirb  eud)  ®inbern  ®otte^  taugen, 
©rbaut  euc^  nnb  crgb^t  bie 


145.    Safytte  Xcnicn. 

1. 

in  ber  2Bettgefd)id)te  (ebtr 
5lugenblid  foUt'  er  fic^  ric^ten? 
in  bie  3e^en  fdjant  nnb  ftrebt, 
ber  ift  mert,  gn  f^red)en  unb  %u  bitten. 


(Soetljes  <Sebid?te.  161 

2. 

alter  SWatm  tft  ftet«  em  ®imig  Sear!-      5 
ganb  in  §anb  mittoirlte,  ftritt, 
3ft  langft  fcorbeigegangen, 

mit  itnb  an  btr  (iebte,  (ttt, 
fid)  too  anberS  angeljangen  ; 
3^9^^^  ift  urn  i^rettniden  fyier,  10 

toa're  t^ortdjt  gn  Kertangen: 
,  altete  bn  ntit  mir. 

3. 
tiom  $erganglid)en, 


311  fcereiwgen,  15 

totr  ja  ba. 

4. 

'  nur,  ttrie  tragft  bn  fo  be^a'gtid) 
£)er  to  lien  -Sng^nb  anmapd)e^  Sefen?" 

fie  tuarcn  nnertrdglid), 
id)  ntdjt  and)  nnertraglid)  getuefen,  20 

5. 

@tc^ere  toillft  bit  bid)  betten! 
(iebe  mir  inneren  <Streit: 

toenn  nrir  bie  £wetfd  nidjt  fatten, 
So  tofire  benn  frol)e  ©cttt^dt? 

6. 

,,!Dir  toarnm  bod)  oerlicrt  25 

©fetd)  aiie§  SBert  nnb 


162 


£fynn  mtereffiert, 
©ethane  ntd)t 

7. 

ba§  ©eftirn, 
3°  Dfyne  ©aft, 

2lber  ofjne  9toft, 
£)rel)e  fid)  jeber 
Um  bie  eigne  Saft 


ntcf)t  rec^t!"    !Da«  mag  it)o^(  fein; 
35         £)od)  ba«  311  fagenr  tft  ftern  ; 

tnetjr  rec^t  al$  tc^!  X)a^  luirb  U)a^  fetn. 


9. 

Xitd)tige,  unb  luenn  aud^  fatfd), 
SBirft  Xag  fur  £ag,  t»on  @au^  g 
T)a§  Xitc^tige,  tuenn^  li)af)rt)aft  ift, 
40  Strtt  iiber  al(e  3etten  ^tnau^. 

10. 

bur  tag  btd)'8  nic^t  betriiben, 
ber  Mangel  fit()rt  jum  ?ieben; 
$annft  bic^  nid)t  uom  gel^t  befreht, 
Sirft  bu  anbern  gern  fcerjetfyn. 

11. 

45  Sar'  nic^t  bag  Sluge  fonnen^aft, 

!Die  @onne  fount'  eS  nie  erb(i(f  en  ; 
£tig'  ntd)t  in  un§  beg  ®otteS  eigne  ^raft, 
lonnt'  un3  ©bttlic^eg  entjitrf  en  ? 


<5oetfjes(Sebtd?te.  163 


12. 


bie  9?afe  reicfyt,  ba  mag'3  foofjl  gefyn  ; 
aber  britber  tft,  fonnen  fie  nid)t  fefyn.  50 


(efen  tnaben  ben 


^naben  cirgerte  bte 
£)te  ic^  nun  getten  laffen  mug. 


14. 


tt  ber  Sett  muft  ntemanb  (eben,  55 

3(1^  roer  fie  brauc^en  ttJtli; 
3ft  er  braudjbar  unb  ftt(Ir 

er  fid)  lieber  bem  Xeufet  ergeben, 
3n  t^un,  tna^  fie  unit. 


15. 

einer  fief)  gewofynen,  60 

ei'S  junt  ®uten,  jnm  @c^onen. 
tfyite  nur  ba^  9?etf)te, 
(Snbe  bncft,  am  (5nbe  bient  ber  (£>d)led)te. 


16. 

(gin  reiner  SReim  tDtrb  tt>o^(  bege^rt, 

ben  (Stebanfen  rein  jn  ^aben,  65 

)ie  ebelfte  tion  alien  @aben, 
ift  ntir  atle  9?ehne  inert. 


164  (Soetfyes  <5ebid?te. 

17. 


2LMber(egen,  33ebingen,  33egrimmen 
23emitf)t  unb  britftet  manner  fid); 
70  3d)  tan  baranS  nid)t$  toeiter  geininnen, 

2U3  baft  er  anberS  benlt  uric  id). 


18. 

Sie  frud)tbar  ift  ber  Keinfte 
man  ifyn  ti)ol)t  311 


19. 

SBenn  ^inbe^blitf  begierig  fdjaut, 
75  (5r  finbet  be^  £>ater3  §au§  gebaut; 

Unb  iuenn  ba3  Ol)r  fi(|  erft  Dertraut, 
tont  ber  DJiutterfprac^e  Saut; 

§  bie^  nnb  jene§  nal), 
fabelt  i()m,  tr>a^  fern  gefdjafy, 
80  Umfittigt  itjn,  ttuicfyft  er  ^eran; 

(5r  finbet  eben  atteS  getl)an, 

9D?an  riiljmt  iljm  bie^r  man  ^reift  i^m  ba$ 

@r  tudre  gar  gern  aitd)  ettt>a^. 

2Bie  er  foW  widen,  fdjaffen,  lieben, 
85  T)a^  fteljt  ja  aUe^  fd)on  gefc^rieben 

Unb,  rt)a$  nod)  fd)timmer  ift,  gebrntf  t  ; 

Qa  fte()t  ber  junge  sU^enfd)  tierburft, 

Unb  enb(id)  irnrb  i^m  offenbar: 

(5r  fei  nnr,  tua^  ein  anbrer 


20. 

90  ®ern  umr'  id)  Uberliefrnng 

Unb  ganj  original; 


(Sebtcfyte.  165 


£)od)  ift  ba$  Unternefynten  grog 
Unb  fiifyrt  in  ntandje  Qual 
TO  2lutod)tl)one  redjnef  id) 
@$  mir  gur  fyodjften  (Sfyre,  95 

28enn  id)  nicfjt  gar  ju  tDii 
iibedtefnmg  ix>are. 


21. 
3Sater  fyab'  ic^  bie 


9!)Zittterd)ett  bie  grofynatur 
Unb  Suft  311  fabttlieren. 
Ura()nl)err  mar  ber  ©djimften 
®a§  fpult  jo  ^in  unb  mieber, 
llratjnfrait  ttebte  @d)mutf  unb 

gudt  n)ol)(  burd)  bie  ®Ucber.  105 

nun  bie  (^(emente  nid)t 

bent  ^omptcj:  ju  trennen, 

tft  benn  an  bent  gan^en  SKic^t 
Original  ^u  nennen? 

22. 

£eifen  faun  id)  ntc^t  ba$  geben,  no 

9?ic^t  ba§  Snnen  nod)  ba^  5lugen, 
5lto  mug  ba^  ©an^e  geben, 
Um  nut  end)  unb  ntir  ^u  fjaufen. 

I)abMd)  nur  gefd)rteben, 

fii^le,  \vie  id);g  meine,  us 

llnb  fo  fpatf  id)  ntid),  il)r  Sieben, 
Unb  bin  intnterfort  ber  eine. 


166  (Soetfjes  <Sebtd?te. 

23. 

,,Qd)  fyielt  mid)  ftets  t>on  $Mftern  entfernt; 
9?ad)treten  foare  mir  (SdmtadjI 
120  gab'  alle$  t»on  mtr  felbft  gelernt."  — 

(§3  ift  and)  barnacfy! 

24. 

n£n  ®oet^e§  3)enhna(  ma^  ja^lft  bu  jefet?" 
gragt  biefer,  jener  nnb  ber.  - 
ga'tf  id)  mir  nic^t  felbft  ein  £)enfmal  gefe^t, 
125  £)a$  ^Denlmal,  IDO  feint'  e^  benn  l)er? 

25. 

©ut  tjerloren  —  etroaS  tjerloren! 
3ftngt  rafc^  btct)  beftnnen 
Unb  nene^  gemtnnen. 
(Sfyre  uerloren  —  tiiel  nerloren! 
130  SJhtftt  9^nl)m  getr>tnnen, 

$)a  tt)erben  bie  Seute  ftc^  anbere  beftnnen. 
9ft  nt  t>erloren  —  alleS  berloren! 
*£)a  luaV  e6  beffer,  nid)t  geboren. 


26.    5lngeben!en. 

5(ngeben!en  an  ba3  ®nte 
135  §a'It  unS  immer  frtfc^  bet 


5lngeben!en  an  ba 

3ft  ba§  @et(  ber  (Srbenfd^ne. 

5lngeben!en  an  ba$  Stebe, 

!  inenn'^  lebenbig  bltebe. 


(Soetfjes  <Sebtd?te.  167 

^ngebenlen  an  ba$  (Sine  140 

23(eibt  ba$  23efte,  toaS  id)  tnetne. 


27.    £)en  $ereinigten  Staaten. 

Amenta,  bit  fyaft  e$  beffer 

511^  unfer  Continent,  ba^  atter 

§aft  feine  tterfaftene  ©c^ldffer 

Unb  feme  ^Safalte.  145 

£)td)  ftort  ntd)t  tm 

3u  lebenbtger  3e^ 

Unnit^eS  (Srinnern 

Unb  tiergeblid)er 


bte  ©egenmart  mtt  ©Uttfl  150 

Unb  tr»enn  nun  eure  ^inber  btdjten, 

fie  em  gnt  ©efcfyttf 
fitter-,  dauber-  unb  ©efpenftergefcfyidjten. 

28. 

!ann  nttc^  ntcfyt  bereben  laffen, 

nttr  ben  Xenfel  nur  ntc^t  !(etn:  155 

®er(,  ben  alte  9ftenfcf)en  ^affen, 
mng  tva^  fcin! 

29. 

!Dentfc^en  finb  rec^t  gutc  Senf  : 

fie  einjetn,  fie  brtngen^  tt)eit  ; 

finb  i!)nen  auc^  bie  grb^ten  Xtjaten         160 

erftenmal  im  ©an^en  geraten. 
jeber  fprecfye  5lmen  baretn, 

e^  nicf)t  moge  ba6  (e^te  3J^al  fein! 


168  (Soetfyes  <5ebtd?tc. 

30. 

2Ba3  bie  ©rogen  ®ute8  tfyaten, 
165  @a()  id)  oft  itt  meinem  Seben ; 

Sag  unS  nun  Me  Golfer  geben, 
Deren  augemaljlte  2Beifen 
gufammen  [ic^  beraten, 

unfre  (5n!el 
170  £)ie'S  ertebcn. 


146. 

ic  bie 

molten  ben  grilling  feffcln, 
brangt  ber  ©ommer  fdjon  itberaK 
£)ifteln  unb  mit  92cffcln. 
mir  ()at  er  bag  (eid)te  ^anb 
5ln  jenem  53autn  nerbidjtet, 
£)urd)  ba^  id)  fonft  gu  fdjbnftent 
T>en  ^iebe^blid  gerid)tet ; 
2>erbetft  ift  mir  bag  bunte  £)ad), 
®tc  ©ttter  nnb  bie  ^foften ; 
S^o^in  mein  Slucje  fpa'{)enb  brad), 
T)ort  etuig  bleibt  mein  Often. 


147. 

fttUe  grenbe  woHt  itjr  ftbren? 
mid)  bei  metnem  ^3ec^er  SKein ; 
anbern  !ann  man  fid)  befefyren, 
^Begeiftert  tuirb  man  nur  atlein. 


(5oetf}es   (Sebtcfyte.  169 

148.    Dem  auf^e^en^en  Pottmcmfce. 

SDornburg,  25.  Sluguft  1828. 

StUft  bu  mid)  fog(etd)  tierlaffenl 
Sarft  tm  Slugenbttcf  fo  nal)  ! 
£)id)  umfinftern  SBolfenmaffen, 
llnb  nun  bift  bit  gar  nidjt  ba. 


bn  fit^tft,  toie  id)  betritbt  bin, 
bein  9^anb  ^eranf  at^  Stern  1 
3cugeft  mtrr  ba§  id)  geliebt  bin, 
i  ba^  Siebdjen  nod)  fo  fern. 


@o  ^tnan  benn!  ^el(  nnb  feller, 

Reiner  33afnt,  in  boiler  ^3rad)t  ! 

©d)(agt  mein  §er5  aud)  fdjtneqlid)  fd)ne((er, 

Uberfettg  ift  bie  sJ?ad)t. 


149.    D*?rnbur^,  September  H828. 


itf),  tnenn  Xfyal,  ©ebirg  nnb  ©arten 
9^ebelfd)(eiern  ftc^  ent^iillen, 
Unb  bem  fefynlidjften  (Snuarten 
bunt  fid)  fittfen  ; 


SBenn  ber  ttfjer,  SBoIfen  tragenb, 
3JJtt  bem  tlaren  Xage  ftreitet, 
llnb  ein  Dfttvinb,  fie  tieriagenb, 
©onnenba^n  bereitet  ; 


T)anlft  bu  bann,  am  33(i(f  btc|  meibenb, 
Reiner  23ruft  ber  ©rogen,  §o(ben, 
bie  (Sonne,  rottid)  fd)etbenb, 
ben  §ori^ont  bergolben. 


170  (Soetfyes   (Sebicfytc. 

150. 

@e(bft  erfinben  ift  fd)im ;  bod)  glitd(id)  t>on  anbern  ®efnnbne$ 
gro^ttrf)  erfatwt  unb  gefd)a£t,  nennft  bit  ba$  meniger  betn  ? 


151.    lln  Me  funfjetyn  ^reunbe  in  (En^lanfc. 

2Beimar,  ben  28.  Sluguft  1831. 

Sorte,  bie  ber  £)id)ter  fprid)t 
Xren  in  ^eimifd)en  ^irfen, 
Sirfen  g(eid),  boc^  tr>ei§  er  nid)t, 
Db  fie  in  bie  gerne  luirfen. 


,  ^abt  fie  anfgefagt : 

inn,  ba«  £fjun  gegiigelt ; 
©tetig  (Streben  oljne  $aft." 
Unb  fo  \DoHt  ifyr'S  benn  befiegelt. 


152. 

33  en  C.  Sttarx  1832. 

(Sin  jeber  fe^re  t)or  feiner 
Unb  rein  ift  jebeS  Stabtquartier 
(Sin  jeber  it  be  fein' Seltion, 
©o  ttrirb  e§  gnt  im  9tate  ftofyn. 


NOTES. 


The  time  and  place  of  the  first  publication  of  each  of  the  poems  in- 
cluded in  this  collection  is  given  in  the  Notes.  In  case  a  poem  first 
appeared  elsewhere  and  was  afterwards  taken  by  Goethe  into  his  col- 
lected works,  that  fact  is  also  mentioned.  The  following  editions  of 
the  works  were  issued  under  Goethe's  direction : 

@d)riften,  1787-1790,  in  8  volumes,  Leipzig,  Goschen.  The  poems 
were  in  the  last  volume.  Cited  in  the  Notes  as  @d)riftert,  1 789. 

9?ene  @d)viften,  1792-1800,  in  7  volumes,  Berlin,  Unger.  The 
poems  were  in  the  last  volume.  Cited  as  ^CUC  @d)rtften,  1800. 

2Berfe,  1806-1810,  in  13  volumes,  Tubingen,  Cotta.  The  poems 
were  in  the  first  volume.  Cited  as  SSerfc,  1806. 

SBerfe,  1815-1819,  in  20  volumes,  Stuttgart  and  Tubingen,  Cotta. 
The  poems  were  in  the  first  two  volumes.  Cited  as  2Ber!e,  1815.  The 
editions  following  were  all  published  by  Cotta. 

3Bcrfe.  SBottftchtbtge  2lu8gabe  letter  £anb,  1827-1830,  in  40  vol- 
umes. The  poems,  including  38eft*6ftUd)er  SHuatt,  were  in  the  first 
six  volumes.  Cited  as  $Berfe,  1827. 

Eckermann  and  Riemer  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  this  9Ul§gabe 
tester  §CUlb  and  became  Goethe's  literary  executors,  as  it  were,  in  the 
preparation  of  the  two  editions  following.  As  Goethe's  instructions  or 
wishes  must  have  guided  in  these  editions,  they  are  also  cited  in  the 
Notes : 

^adjgelaffene  SBerfe,  1832-1842,  in  20  volumes.  The  poems  were 
in  volumes  7  and  16.  Cited  as  9tfad)gefaffene  SBerfe,  1833. 

SBerte,  1836,  in  2  volumes.  The  poems  were  in  the  first  volume. 
Cited  as  2Ber!e,  1836. 

All  references  to  Goethe's  writings  and  letters,  or  quotations  from 
them,  unless  express  statement  is  made  to  the  contrary,  are  based  on 
the  Weimar  edition  (®oetbe§  SBcrfe  berouSgegeben  im  Sluftrage  ber 
(Sh'operjogtn  ©opbie  t)on  @ad)jen).  The  publication  of  this  monu- 
mental edition  was  begun  in  1887  and  is  not  yet  completed. 

173 


174  GOETHES     GEDICHTE. 

The  list  appended  to  Cotta  editions  of  Goethe's  works  under  the  title 
of  Qtbronofogte  ber  (Sntftebinig  ©oetfyefdjer  @rf)riften  is  cited  in  the  Notes 
merely  as  (£Ijronotogie.  It  is  by  no  means  always  accurate,  but  gives, 
nevertheless,  useful  hints  concerning  the  time  of  origin  of  some  of  the 
poems. 

The  literature  about  Goethe  has  grown  to  enormous  proportions. 
Much  of  it  has  been  freely  used  in  the  preparation  of  these  Notes.  So 
far  as  the  results  of  such  investigations  have  become  the  general  prop- 
erty of  students  of  Goethe,  no  other  acknowledgment  of  indebtedness 
is  made.  In  the  case  of  more  specific  obligations,  acknowledgment  is 
made  at  the  proper  place  in  the  Notes.  The  following  books  have  been 
used  more  frequently  than  others  and  are  cited  in  the  Notes  only  by  the 
names  of  their  authors :  — 

®oetbe§  @ebicf)te,  9tu8rrjaht  in  cfovonologifdjer  ^otge,  mit  (Sinleitung 
unb  3lnmerfungen  toon  £ubttrig  S3htme,  2Bten,  1892. 

©oetbeS  Itjrifcfje  ©ebidjte,  edantert  Don  Jpeinrid)  2)un£er,  brittc, 
neubearbeitete  SUtflage,  £eito$ig,  i896ff.  Also  his  edition  of  $Beft= 
oftlicbev  2)itoan  in  ®oetf)e«  2Berfe,  Alerter  Sell,  Berlin  imb  (Stutt- 
gart,  without  date.  (Kiirschner's  series.) 

©ebic^te,  mit  (Sinteitung  unb  5tnmcrfungen  oon  ©.  con 
,  3  Xci(e,  SBerltn,  1882-1884.  Also  his  edition  of  2Beft=oftUcf)er 
3)t&an  in  ©oethe§  SBerfc,  Alerter  Xeit,  Berlin,  without  date.  (Hem- 
pel's  edition.) 

®oetbe8  ©ebid^te, . . .  herauSgcgcben  unb  mit  2Cnmer!ungen  begleitct 
oon  gr.  ©trcbl!e,  3  SBcinbe,  Sertin,  i886ff. 

©oetfjeS  ©cbtcfjte,  ertautert . . .  toon  £etnrtcf)  3Sicboff,  2.  SKuflage,  2 
S3dnbe,  (Stuttgart,  1869-1870. 

(SoetljeS  53ricfc  an  $iau  toon  @tein,  beraiiegegeben  toon  3lbolf  ©cfjofl. 
3tt>eite  toertoollftnnbtgte  5lnflagc  bearbeitet  toon  SBilljelm  ^teUt^,  2 
33dnbe,  ^ranffurt,  1883-1885. 


Don  ftnebridj  2Jlttgtmtliatt 

First  appeared  in  ^Berliner  Sftotttagjeitung,  1865. 

Goethe  tells  us  in  SDidjtltng  Itnb  SBafjrfieit  that  he  began  writing  in 
verse  at  a  very  early  age,  and  some  of  the  poems  preceding  his  depar- 
ture from  Frankfort  to  the  University  of  Leipzig  in  the  autumn  of  1 765 
have  been  preserved.  As  representative  of  these  youthful  productions, 
the  last  stanza  of  a  poem  written  by  Goethe  in  the  album  of  his  friend 
Moors  is  given  here.  It  ended  with  a  quotation  from  Horace,  Risum 
teneatis  amici !  and  was  signed,  3.  28.  ©oet&C,  ber  fcfjbnen  SBiffenfdjoften 
SHefchaber,  28.  Huguft  1765. 

2.  2tn  Sdjrtfa. 

First  appeared  in  28evfe,  1836. 

The  three  years  of  his  student  life  at  Leipzig  were  of  profound  in- 
fluence in  Goethe's  development.  The  direct  influence  of  the  university 
was  small,  but  the  stimulus  given  him  by  his  associates,  and  the  social, 
intellectual,  and  artistic  life  of  the  city  were  impulses  to  rapid  growth, 
probably  unequalled  in  his  later  career. 

In  his  letter  to  his  sister,  of  May  II,  1767  (p.  88),  he  gives  clear  ex- 
pression to  his  belief  in  his  poetic  mission.  Nevertheless  he  was  an 
imitator  of  the  German  poets  of  the  day  in  the  form  and  contents  of  his 
poetry.  Little  that  he  wrote  came  from  his  own  experience.  In  the 
choice  and  use  of  words  and  in  the  management  of  rime  he  showed, 
however,  astonishing  ease  and  skill. 

One  of  the  Leipzig  friends  was  Ernst  Wolfgang  Behrisch  (1738- 
1809),  then  acting  as  tutor  to  a  young  nobleman.  His  years  and 
greater  experience  in  life  gave  him  a  sort  of  intellectual  ascendancy 
over  Goethe,  which  was  not  always  wholesome  for  the  latter  morally, 
but  was  profitable  to  him  in  many  other  respects.  At  the  suggestion  of 
his  friend,  Goethe  destroyed  most  of  what  he  had  previously  written. 
In  part  because  of  his  relations  with  the  young  poet,  who  had  lost  favor 
in  certain  quarters  for  reasons  explained  in  SHdjtUtig  Itnb 

175 


176  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  2-4. 

Behrisch  came  into  disrepute  with  his  employer  and  was  compelled  to 
seek  a  new  position  in  Dessau.  This  led  Goethe  to  write  and  send  to 
him,  in  the  autumn  of  1767,  three  odes,  of  which  the  second  is  given 
here.  The  friendship  of  the  two  men  continued  till  Behrisch's  death. 
The  metrical  structure  of  the  odes  shows  clearly  the  influence  of  the 
poet  Klopstock,  while  their  hysterical  tone  reveals  Goethe's  inexperience. 

1.  5.   The  region  about  Leipzig  is  flat. 

1.  Q.    ©efctirort,  breeding-place. 

1.  xx.  2ftorberI)iiUe,  as  if  the  fogs  and  the  vapors  from  the  swamps 
acted  as  a  covering  to  hide  from  view  the  harmful  insects. 

3.  $er 

First  appeared  in  £eipjtget  SHeberblldj,   1769;    taken  into 
toffene  2Berfe,  1833. 

His  letters  of  the  time  show  that  Goethe's  literary  work  at  Leipzig 
was  not  inconsiderable  in  quantity.  Much  of  it  was  destroyed  and 
very  little  found  its  way  into  his  collected  works.  Nevertheless  a  part 
appeared  in  print  at  this  period.  In  the  autumn  of  1769,  but  bearing 
the  date  1770,  appeared  a  collection  of  twenty  poems  without  Goethe's 
name  and  with  the  title,  9?euc  SHeber  in  -HRetobieit  gefet^t  Don  33ernl)arb 
£beobor  23rettfopf.  This  collection  is  commonly  known  as  Mpjiger 
Sieberblld).  Breitkopf  was  a  few  months  older  than  Goethe,  who  asso- 
ciated much  with  members  of  the  family,  of  which  the  grandfather  was 
the  head  of  the  famous  publishing  house  of  the  same  name. 

The  exact  date  of  composition  of  2)er  Sfttfantfyrop  is  unknown. 
Goethe's  letters  while  at  Leipzig  and  his  account  in  £)i(f)tuitg  uub 
2BabrI)cit  (SBcrfe,  XXVII,  mff.)  show  that  his  state  of  mind  in 
those  days  was  often  such  that  the  poem  could  easily  have  been  taken 
from  his  own  experience. 

1.  3-    fomtttt  .  .  .  6ct,  equals,  matches. 

4.  ©tiirf  itnb  Xraum. 

First  appeared  in  2dp§tger  £teberbud),  1769,  with  the  title  2)a8 
©lu'rf;  taken  into  3Berfe,  1815,  with  the  present  title. 

Some  time  in  the  year  1768  Goethe  gave  to  Friederike  Oeser,  the 


Sel.  4-6.]  NOTES.  177 

daughter  of  the  Leipzig  artist  who,  as  teacher  and  friend,  so  profoundly 
influenced  him  for  several  years,  a  manuscript  collection  of  ten  poems, 
all  but  one  of  which  were  subsequently  printed  in  £eipgiger  SHeberbltd). 
This  manuscript  seems  to  give  the  earliest  form  of  the  poems.  In  it 
©tiicf  unb  Sraum  has  the  title,  3)a8  ©tiicf,  an  Stnnetten. 

The  maiden  addressed  was  Kathchen  Schonkopf,  the  daughter  of  a 
wine-dealer  at  whose  house  Goethe  dined  during  most  of  his  stay  in 
Leipzig.  He  was  on  very  intimate  terms  with  the  family,  and  fell  in 
love  with  the  daughter.  She  returned  his  affection,  but  was  often  much 
tormented  by  his  whims  and  jealousy.  The  whole  affair  is  described  in 
Sidjtmig  Ultb  Sabrhett  (2Ber!e,  XXVII,  iioff.)  and  is  enacted,  as  it 
were,  before  our  eyes,  in  Goethe's  letters  of  the  time.  The  letter  of 
April  26,  1768,  to  Behrisch,  makes  evident  the  manner  of  the  ending  of 
the  relationship  as  lovers,  apparently  at  Goethe's  initiative,  although  he 
had  his  seasons  of  regret  and  melancholy  even  after  his  return  to 
Frankfort,  and  was  much  distressed  by  the  news  of  her  engagement  to 
Dr.  Kanne,  to  whom  she  was  later  married.  The  exact  date  of  com- 
position of  the  poem  is  unknown,  but  evidently  falls  in  the  days  when 
the  more  intimate  relations  with  Kathchen  had  ended  or  were  about  to 
end. 

5.  2$ed)fel. 

First  appeared  in  SMpjiger  SHeberblld),  1 769,  with  the  title  Unbeftatt= 
btgfett;  taken  into  ©(fyriften,  1789,  with  changes  and  with  present 
title. 

Likewise  in  the  collection  of  Friederike  Oeser,  and  evidently  called 
forth  by  his  love-affair  with  Kathchen  Schonkopf. 

1.  7.    fcerfdjleifft,  drag  out,  waste. 

6.  $er  Sl&frfiieb. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

There  is  no  positive  p^roof  of  an  earlier  origin  than  that  indicated  by 
the  time  of  its  first  publication,  although  it  is  mentioned  in  GTbronotogie 
as  belonging  to  1770-71.  Nevertheless  the  poem  is  now  commonly  as- 
signed to  the  year  1770,  because  of  the  name  Franzchen  in  the  fourth 
stanza,  and  on  the  ground  of  Goethe's  letter  from  Saarbriicken  on  June 


178  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  6,  7. 


27,  1770,  in  which  occur  the  words:  <£agen  @tc  meinem 
baft  idj  nod)  immer  ibr  bin.  3d)  babe  fie  inel  tteb,  unb  id)  argerte  mid) 
oft,  baft  ftc  mid)  fo  toentg  genierte;  man  roill  gebnnben  fetn,  tnenu  man 
Uebt.  The  Franzchen  to  whom  the  message  was  sent  was  Franziska 
Crespel,  a  friend  of  Goethe's  sister.  In  the  year  and  a  half  of  Goethe's 
illness  and  convalescence  at  Frankfort,  after  his  return  from  Leipzig,  it  is 
possible  that  an  intimate  but  transitory  love  relation  with  Franziska 
sprang  up,  although  it  can  not  be  proved.  If  we  adopt  this  supposition, 
the  poem  was  called  forth  by  Goethe's  departure  in  March  to  Strassburg 
to  resume  his  studies. 

1.  13.  Jirtiltj)d)Ctt,  not  to  be  translated  as  a  diminutive.  The  German 
diminutive  is  frequently  used  sportively,  endearingly,  or  in  other  ways 
which  make  a  literal  translation  absurd.  If  the  poem  was  really  ad- 
dressed to  Franziska  Crespel,  the  diminutive  was  probably  caused  here 
by  the  rime. 

7.  aSHflfommett  uttb  9(6frf)teb. 

First  appeared  in  the  periodical  3n§,  March,  1775;  taken  into 
©djrtften,  1789,  with  changes. 

This  poem  shows  admirably  the  wonderful  change  that  had  taken 
place  in  Goethe's  lyrics  since  the  days  at  Leipzig.  The  influences  brought 
to  bear  upon  him  at  Strassburg  were  many  and  varied.  Chief  among 
them  were  the  scenery  and  the  life  of  Alsace,  the  intercourse  with  Her- 
der, the  consequent  better  acquaintance  with  English  literature  and  the 
German  SSolfSlieb,  his  love  for  Friederike  Brion.  At  Leipzig,  as  we 
have  already  seen,  he  was  not  free  from  subserviency  to  the  lyric  fashion 
of  the  times,  he  tried  not  infrequently  to  portray  feelings  which  he  had 
never  experienced,  he  had  not  yet  really  learned  to  see  nature.  At 
Strassburg  he  mastered  the  art  of  making  his  lyrics  the  outpourings  of 
his  own  experiences,  the  confessions  of  his  inner  life. 

Not  the  least  among  the  strong  influences  of  those  months  was  the 
poet's  glowing  affection  for  Friederike  Brion.  His  first  visit  to  her  home 
at  Sesenheim  was  in  October,  1770.  He  wrote  to  her  on  October  15, 
just  after  his  return  to  Strassburg.  A  mutual  affection  seems  to  have 
sprung  up  at  once.  Goethe  made  two  long  visits  at  Sesenheim  at  Easter 
and  Whitsuntide  of  1771,  as  we  know  by  his  letters  to  Salzmann  at  that 
time,  and  may  have  made  several  briefer  ones  previously. 


Sel.  7.]  NOTES.  179 


imb  2(bfd)ieb  was  doubtless  addressed  to  Friederike,  but 
the  exact  date  of  its  composition  has  been  much  in  dispute,  as  Goethe's 
highly  idealized  account  of  the  whole  Sesenheim  episode  in  3)td)tlUtg 
linb  SIBafjrfjeit  seems  to  make  the  chronology  of  the  period  hopelessly 
confused,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  poem  to  indicate  the  season  of  the 
year.  The  lovers  have,  it  is  true,  reached  the  stage  of  tears,  kisses,  and 
mutual  understanding  of  their  love,  but  that  might  have  come  about  in 
a  few  weeks  or  days.  There  is  therefore  no  inherent  improbability  in 
any  date  after  the  first  meeting  in  October. 

However,  as  Goethe  seems  to  have  SBtllfommen  llttb  9tbjrf)ieb  in  mind 
in  describing  in  the  eleventh  book  of  2)id)tung  linb  SBdbfheit  [SBerfe, 
XXVIII,  10)  a  visit  to  Sesenheim  at  the  beginning  of  one  of  the  uni- 
versity vacations,  it  is  probable  that  the  poem  originated  then.  The  de- 
tails of  the  description  apply  to  a  time  of  year  suitable  to  outdoor  life, 
that  is,  to  Easter  or  Whitsuntide.  If  poem  and  visit  were  thus  associat- 
ed, the  date  of  both  must  have  been  the  beginning  of  the  Easter  vaca- 
tion, as  the  poem  gives  no  hint  of  waning  affection,  and  Goethe's  letters 
to  Salzmann  show  that  he  had  begun  at  Whitsuntide  to  feel  the  uncer- 
tainties of  his  position  and  to  question  the  wisdom  of  his  love  for  Friede- 
rike. In  1771  Easter  Sunday  came  on  March  31.  This  may  be  re- 
garded as  fixing  approximately  the  date  of  the  poem. 

We  may  imagine  Goethe  at  Strassburg  when  his  heart  bade  him  so 
imperiously  to  undertake  in  hot  haste  the  journey  to  Sesenheim,  some 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  as  the  afternoon  was  already  nearing  its  close. 
In  the  latter  part  of  the  first  stanza  and  through  the  whole  of  the  second 
he  contrasts  graphically  the  imagined  terrors  of  the  night  with  the  con- 
fidence of  his  own  love-filled  heart.  The  third  stanza  describes  the  meet- 
ing of  the  lovers,  and  the  fourth  their  parting  on  the  morning  of  the 
next  day.  In  the  first  publication  in  the  periodical  3ri8  the  last  stanza 
read  : 

£>er  5lbfd)ieb,  one  bebrangt,  wte  triibe! 

2lu§  betnen  2Mtden  farad)  bein  <£>er3. 

3n  bcinen  $iiffen  n>eld)e  Cicbc! 

€)  tneldje  2Bonne,  tt>eld)er  ©djrners! 

$>u  gingft,  id)  ftiinb  unb  fal)  3ur  drben 

linb  fat)  bit  nad)  mtt  naffem  58lirf: 

linb  bod),  tueld)  ©turf  geltebt  311  tuerben! 

Unb  lieben,  (hotter,  meld)  ein  QHucf. 


180  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  7-9. 

Here  is  not  a  word  about  departure  on  the  next  morning.  The  lover, 
who  is  about  to  leave,  stands  following  with  his  eyes  his  sweetheart  who 
is  presumably  going  into  the  house  after  bidding  him  good-bye.  This 
is  probably  what  actually  took  place,  but  the  later  changes  make  the  sit- 
uation more  effective  and  more  natural. 

8.  i'tit  einem  n  cm  a  I  ten  23cmb. 

First  appeared  in  the  periodical  3rt$,  January,  1775;  taken  into 
©djriften,  1789. 

In  3)ict)tung  itnb  SBahrljeit  (SBerfe,  XXVIII,  32)  Goethe  tells  of 
sending  to  Friederike  such  a  ribbon  decorated  by  himself  and  accom- 
panied by  a  poem.  This  poem  is  supposed  to  be  the  one  to  which  he 
thus  refers.  If  so,  it  was  written  in  the  spring  of  1771.  Whatever  the 
time  of  their  origin  may  be,  the  lines  certainly  give  graceful  expression 
to  feelings  such  as  he  had  at  Sesenheim.  As  first  published,  there  was 
an  additional  stanza  between  the  present  third  and  fourth,  and  the  first 
two  lines  of  the  last  stanza  read  : 

DJlfibdjen,  ba§  lute  id)  empfinbet, 
tntr  bcine  Hebe 


1.  12.    flcmuti],  instead  of  gciutg. 

1.  14.    fret,  -voluntarily,  of  your  own  accord. 

9.   9RatIte*. 

First  appeared  in  the  periodical  3rt8,  January,  1775,  with  the  title 
ajtaifejlj  taken  into  ©djriften,  1789. 

Assigned  conjecturally  to  the  spring  of  1771,  as  Goethe,  in  writing  to 
J.  G.  Jacob!,  the  editor  of  3>ri§,  on  December  I,  1774,  speaks  of  send- 
ing to  him  some  poems  of  earlier  origin.  As  2J£aitieb  was  published  in 
the  next  issue,  it  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  poems  meant,  although  it 
may  have  been  written  later.  Goethe  spent  at  least  the  latter  part  of 
May,  1771,  at  Sesenheim,  and  the  tone  of  the  poem  fits  admirably  into 
his  life  there. 

1.  13.    Sie&C,  the  abstract,  not  "the  loved  one." 

1.  19.    SBltttenbaittpf,  poetic  for  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers. 


Sel.  9,  10.]  NOTES.  181 

1.  21.    2ftabrfjCtt,  for  this  sudden  transition  in  thought  to  his  sweet- 
heart notice  also  the  close  of  ^riifyjettiger  g-riifyUng  (Sel.  89). 


10.  ©thfct  ber  %ntf)§,  fo  gilt  ber  S3alg. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

Commonly  assigned  to  the  spring  of  1771,  although  possibly  of  later 
origin.  In  2)irf|tung  unb  2Bab,rb,eit  (SBerfe,  XXVIII,  14,  21)  Goethe 
speaks  of  the  outdoor  games  played  at  Sesenheim,  but  such  amusements 
were  not  unknown  in  the  circle  of  his  friends  after  his  return  to  Frank- 
fort. Eckermann  says  (®etyrad)e,  III,  172)  :  3d)  bad)te  an  bie  gliicf* 
Urfje  3ett  be§  oortgen  SafyrbunbertS,  in  ineldje  ©oetljeS  3ugenb  fiel;  e§ 
trot  mtr  bie  ©ommerhtft  con  @efenh,eim  bor  bie  ©eele,  nnb  idj  erin= 
nerte  i()n  an  bie  S5erfe  : 

9lad)  SOtittage  fa^en  wir 
3unge§  95oll  im  ^utjten. 

,&$,"  feufjte  ©oet^e,  ,,ba§  rt)aren  freilicf)  fd^one  .Seiten/'  This 
seems  to  be  a  tacit  acknowledgment  that  the  poem  originated  at  Sesen- 
heim. 

In  a  letter  of  May  4,  1807,  to  his  friend  Zelter,  who  set  to  music  so 
many  of  his  poems,  Goethe  described  the  game  as  follows:  3Jian 
nimmt  etnen  biinnen  @toan,  ober  and)  einen  2Bad)8ftocf,  jiinbet  ifyn  an 
unb  la'fjt  it)n  etne  3^tttang  brennen;  benn  blaft  man  bie  ^famine  n^eg, 
ba^  bie  $of)fe  bleibt;  benn  fagt  man  fo  ettig  at§  mbglic^  bag 
rf)en: 

©ttrbt  ber  ftucp,  fo  gilt  ber 
Sebt  er  lang,  fo  ttttrb  er  alt, 
fiebt  er,  fo  lebt  er, 
<Stirbt  er,  fo  fttrbt  er. 

begrabt  i^u  nid)t  mit  ber 
gereicfyt  t^m  jur 


giebt  man  bie  gtimmenbe  ^er^e  gefrfjnrinb  bent  ^ad^bar  in  bie 
£anb,  ber  ba«felbige  ©efe^en  mieberboten  mnfc;  unb  ba«  geb,t  fo  fange 
fort,  bt§  bie  ^ob^te  bet  einem  an§Ufd)t,  ber  benn  ein  $fanb  geben  mu^. 
1.  21.    patfdjte  Jtt,  JU  adds  the  meaning  away,  repeatedly. 


182  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  11, 12. 

11.  S3Hnbe  $ul). 

First  appeared  in  @(f)rifteit,  1 789. 

Commonly  assigned  to  the  year  1771  but  with  less  of  evidence  than 
in  the  case  of  the  two  poems  preceding.  The  game  is  blindman's  buff. 

1.  2.  lunitbclt  .  .  .  fid),  changes.  Therese  caught  him  when  blind- 
folded. When  her  eyes  were  unbandaged,  she  was  vexed  to  discover 
whom  she  had  caught. 

1.  17.    Xtttfocit,  used  here  in  double  sense;    say  gloom. 

As  given  here  §eibenrb§Iein  first  appeared  in  Goethe's  @d)riftett, 
1789.  About  his  claim  to  the  authorship  of  the  present  version  there 
can  therefore  be  no  doubt,  but  much  controversy  has  arisen  concerning 
an  earlier  version,  and  no  generally  accepted  result  has  yet  been  reached. 

In  1 773  Herder  published  in  his  25on  beittfdjer  5Irt  Hub  $Ultft  a  poem 
with  the  title  ^abettieb^en,  which  is  evidently  only  another  version  of 
^>etbenro§(eht,  although  differing  from  it  in  many  details.  For  example, 
the  last  stanza  runs  : 

3ebod)  ber  nrilbe  $nobe  bracf) 

5£>a§  5R6§(etn,  u.  f.  ro 
2)a§  9t63Ietn  mcfjrte  fief)  unb  [tod), 
9lber  er  toergafe  barnad) 
S9etm  (Senufj  ba§  Cetben  ! 

5R5§(ein,  u.  f.  m. 

With  slight  changes  this  version  was  reprinted  in  1779  in  Herder's 
3Sotf§Ueber.  Herder  implies  in  1774  and  says  expressly  in  1779  that  the 
poem  was  orally  transmitted  to  him.  It  was  not  one  of  the  23olf§(teber 
sent  by  Goethe  to  Herder  after  his  return  to  Frankfort  from  Strassburg, 
and  the  most  reasonable  conclusion  therefore  is  that  Goethe  was  the 
author  of  the  version  of  1773;  further,  either  that  Herder  was  mystify- 
ing the  public  or  had  himself  forgotten  the  origin  of  the  poem,  or  that 
Goethe  recited  it  to  Herder  at  Strassburg  and  that  the  latter  took  it  for 
a  23olf$Heb.  The  last  of  these  suppositions  is  the  most  probable.  In 
his  younger  days  Goethe  was  rather  fond  of  mystifying  his  friends  and 
the  public. 


•Sel.  12-14.]  NOTES.  183 

§eibenrb3tein  is  apparently  based  upon  a  poem  in  a  collection  pub- 
lished by  Paul  von  der  Aelst  in  the  year  1602.  Herder  knew  the 
collection  and  probably  Goethe  also,  although  he  may  have  become 
acquainted  with  the  older  poem  in  some  other  way. 

13.  3tfleuue*lieb. 

First  appeared  in  von  Einsiedel's  play  2lbolar  Itnb  §Uario,  1784; 
taken  into  SBerte,  1815. 

The  poem  originated  as  part  of  the  first  version  of  Goethe's  drama  2)ic 
@efd)id)te  ©ottfrteben§  bon  $BerUd)ingen  and  belongs  therefore  to  the 
latter  part  of  1771.  This  first  version  of  the  drama  was  not  published 
until  after  Goethe's  death.  In  the  revision,  which  appeared  in  1773, 
the  poem  was  omitted. 

As  first  written,  the  poem  was  to  be  sung  by  an  old  gypsy  woman,  the 
other  women  joining  in  the  chorus.  The  verb  of  the  first  stanza  was 
bor',  not  borte,  and  therefore  referred  to  the  night  on  which  the  song 
was  sung.  Then  the  gypsy  proceeded,  as  if  the  stormy  night  had  re- 
minded her  of  a  former  event,  with  the  words,  3JJeilt  2ftann,  ber  jd)oft 
Ctrl'  $<*£'  ant  3aun/  an(^  t0^  °f  tne  v^  °f  ^ie  seven  women  to  her  to 
take  vengeance  for  the  deed  of  her  husband.  As  it  now  stands,  the 
whole  refers  solely  to  the  man.  The  poem  has  both  gained  and  lost  by 
the  changes.  The  first  stanza  now  appears  to  have  no  sort  of  con- 
nection with  the  following;  on  the  other  hand,  the  remaining  stanzas 
are  certainly  benefitted  by  the  alterations.  As  were-wolves  (human 
beings  in  the  form  of  wolves)  the  gypsy  witches  come  to  take  revenge, 
but  are  compelled  to  flee  at  the  calling  of  their  names. 

1.  i.    -Kefcelgenefel,  drizzling  mist.    (Bowring.) 

1.  25.  Kef  en  nnb  tyculten  bnuon,  equivalent  to  ftefert  beiilenb  bauon. 

14.  $er  SBanbm. 

First  published  in  ©ottinger  2ftujenalmanarf)  auf  bag  3ab,r  1774; 
taken  into  @d)riften,  1789,  with  changes. 

The  poem  was  in  existence  in  April,  1772,  being  mentioned  in  a 
letter  to  Herder  by  Caroline  Flachsland,  later  Herder's  wife.  It  be- 
longs therefore  to  Frankfort  and  apparently  to  the  early  months  of 


184  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  14. 

1772.  As  Goethe  sent  Caroline  a  copy  in  May  from  Wetzlar,  the  finish- 
ing touches  may  have  been  added  at  the  latter  place.  The  experiences 
upon  which  the  poem  is  based  seem  to  go  back  to  the  time  at  Strass- 
burg,  called  forth  by  the  sight  of  old  Roman  remains  in  Alsace  (3)td)» 
tling  Ullb  SBabrbett,  SSerfe,  XXVII,  339).  But  it  reflects  something 
more  than  Goethe's  personal  experiences.  It  reveals  him  as  influenced 
by  a  wide-spread  movement  of  the  times;  we  see  in  it  the  enthusiastic 
admirer  of  Goldsmith  and  of  the  poets  of  Greece  and  Rome.  (See 
also  notes  to  Sel.  60.) 

The  SBanbrer  is  one  of  the  most  finished  and  effective  of  all  Goethe's 
achievements.  Although  the  poem  was  written  before  he  ever  saw 
Italy,  the  scene  must  be  conceived  as  Italian.  The  wanderer,  who  is 
at  least  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  art,  if  not  an  artist,  comes  as  evening 
draws  near,  to  the  spot  where  the  young  mother  and  the  babe  are,  begs 
for  permission  to  rest  there  for  a  time,  and  doubtless  intends  to  ask 
presently  about  the  road  to  his  destination.  All  the  rest  is  made  clear 
in  the  poem,  as  it  proceeds  step  by  step. 

1.  2.  fiiuflcnbcn,  instead  of  faugenben. 

1.  8.  In  her  simplicity  the  women  takes  him  for  some  sort  of  trades- 
man. 

1.  16.  fftljl,  as  first  printed,  fdjttriU.  The  latter  word  was  intended 
to  justify  his  request  for  a  drink  and  was  for  that  reason  quite  natural. 
Goethe's  later  experience  with  the  climate  of  Italy  doubtless  led  to  the 
change  to  liibt. 

1.  18.  brniti?,  relative,  with  the  same  meaning  as  IrjorauS.  Notice 
also  brill,  1.  23. 

1.32.    btlbenbcr  ®etft,  fashioning  spirit.    (Bowring). 
!•  35-    3ttfd)*iftr  tnat  i§>  to  some  divinity.     The   next  three  lines 
were  originally : 

SDer  93enu§  —  unb  il)r  itbrtgcn 
<Sctb  t>erlof<f)en, 
2BegQettmnbelt,  itjr  ©cfpiclen. 

1.  39.    2Reifter$,  the  one  who  made  the  inscription  or  had  it  made. 

1.  57.    ®eniu£,  the  spirit  of  art,  or  possibly  the  soul  of  the  architect 
of  the  ruined  temple.     Bowring  translates : 
"  Thou  dost  hover 
O'er  thy  grave,  all  glowing,  Genius." 


Sel.  14-16.]  NOTES.  185 

1.  67.  A  pair  of  columns  and  one  isolated  column  alone  are  left 
standing. 

1.  87.  (£3  ift  fitl)lf  originally,  §ier  ift  fill)!,  contrasting  with  the  heat 
lower  down. 

1.  90.    Addressed  to  the  child. 

1.  107.  (SjefegltC^  ©Ott.  The  mother  hears  the  wanderer's  good 
wishes  for  the  child  and  therefore  utters  these  words;  say,  God  grant  it. 

1.  no.    He  declines  the  proffered  bread. 

1.  148.  Cuttttfl,  Goethe  gives  to  the  poem  a  definite  place  by  the 
mention  of  this  name.  Cumae  was  a  very  old  Greek  settlement  in  Italy, 
the  ruins  of  which  still  exist.  In  1831,  Mendelssohn,  who  did  not 
know  of  the  early  origin  of  the  poem,  believed  that  he  had  found  in 
Italy  the  place  which  Goethe  meant.  This  led  Goethe  to  say  to  Zelter 
in  his  letter  of  May  7,  1831 :  3)aS  tft  ber  SBorteit  beg  2)id)terg,  bafj  er 
ba§  Dorau$  abut  unb  toert  ptt,  ft>a§  ber  bte  SStrfUcfyfeit  ©udjenbe, 
toenn  cr  e§  im  £)afein  ftnbet  unb  erfennet,  boppeft  Ueben  unb  hodjltd) 
baron  fid)  erfreuen  mufj. 

1.  163.  £utte.  3m  ©c^Iuffe  bie  SSolIenbung  be§  fiinfttertf^en  2)a= 
fein§  bnrc^  eine  §dn§ticf)feit,  .  . .  enttyredjenb  bcm  ^iittenibeal  ber 
3fit.  (von  Loeper.) 

15,  $at  aHc^  feinc  Beit. 

First  appeared  in  Hirzel's  SBrtefe  toon  ©oetbe  an  Ijefoetifdje  ^reunbe, 
1867,  with  the  exception  of  the  sixth  line. 

These  lines  formed  a  part  of  Goethe's  Concerto  Dramatico  which 
goes  back  at  least  to  March,  1773,  although  never  printed  till  1869. 
On  a  rainy  day  of  the  Rhine  journey  of  1774  (see  ©eifte§=©rilfi,  Sel.  19), 
Goethe  quoted  them  to  Lavater,  in  whose  diary  they  were  preserved. 
The  whole  is  probably  based  on  some  folk-rime.  For  the  general  theme 
see  Ecclesiastes  III,  1-8.  It  may  be  said  in  passing  that  Goethe  was 
exceedingly  well  versed  in  the  Bible,  as  numberless  passages  in  his 
writings  show. 

16.  Silettant  unb  Grittier, 

First  appeared  in  £>er  beutfcfye,  fonft  SSanbSbeder  S3ote,  October, 
1773,  with  the  title  2)a§  <&letd)ni§;  taken  into  2Ber!e,  1815,  with  slight 
changes  and  with  present  title. 


186  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  16-18. 

The  writing  of  the  lines  possibly  preceded  their  publication  by  several 
months.  Goethe  was  in  those  days  not  free  from  sensitiveness  to  ad- 
verse criticism.  In  his  TOer  linb  £dllbe  and  in  Sftecettfent,  which 
belong  to  about  the  same  period  as  5)Uettant  unb  $ritifer,  he  also 
shows  bitterness  of  feeling  towards  his  critics.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  it  is  not  improbable  that  Herder's  sharp  arraignment  of  ©o£  in  its 
first  form  (see  Goethe's  letter  of  July,  1772),  was  the  chief  source  of 
Goethe's  irritation  at  this  time.  The  present  title  does  not  give  accur- 
ately the  idea  of  the  contents  of  the  poem. 

1.  IS-  ®eljt  .  .  .  gerateit,  and  QH  .  .  .  ttid)t  (1.  20),  and  the  word 
sJ>Jfif?flCtmrt  (1.  21  )  are  spoken  by  the  fox.  Qfcljt  mofyl  an,  does  toler- 
ably -well. 

1.  17.  geraien,  turn  out. 

1.  20.  frliniingct  nidjt,  fehft  ber  @d)nnmg.  (Sander's  SSorterbudj.) 


17.  $>a«  SeUdjen. 

First  appeared  in  the  periodical  Sri$,  March,  1775,  as  part  of 
unb  (Slmire,  eill  ©djaufpiel  mit  ©efang  ;  taken  as  a  separate  poem  into 
Dleue     dfyriften,  1800. 

The  poem  was  known  to  the  Jacobis  early  in  1774  (or  possibly  in 
1773,  the  year  being  in  dispute.  See  Bergk's  $d)t  gieber  1)011  ©oettje, 
p.  15).  In  the  absence  of  positive  information  concerning  the  time  of 
the  first  work  on  (Srttrin  Vtltb  (Slniire,  Bergk's  suggestion  of  an  in- 
dependent origin  of  the  poem  has  some  justification.  Goethe  certainly 
did  on  various  occasions  incorporate  older  materials  into  later  work. 
£>eibenrb'8letn  and  2)a3  SSeitdjen  have  a  striking  resemblance  to  each 
other  in  spite  of  the  contrasted  demeanor  of  rose  and  violet.  The 
theme  of  2)a8  SBetldjen  is  the  utter  self-abnegation  of  love. 

1.  12.    mtttt  is  here  factitive,  pressed  —  till  I  am,  etc. 


18.  $er  flonig  in  £I)nle. 

First  appeared  in  von  Seckendorff's  2$olf«=  linb  anberc  £ieber,  1782, 
then  in  revised  form  in  ^Ollft  fragment,  1  789  ;  taken  as  a  separate  poem 
into  Sfteue  ©djriften,  1800. 

A  copy  by  Herder  gives  older  readings  than  those  of  the  first  publi- 


Sel.  18,  19.]  NOTES.  187 

cation.  The  poem  was  recited  by  Goethe  on  the  Rhine  journey  in  the 
summer  of  1774,  and  doubtless  originated  at  the  time  of  the  work  on 
the  earliest  scenes  of  ^Ciuft  in  1773  or  1774.  The  theme  is  of  love  en- 
during till  death  and  showing  itself  in  the  treasuring  above  all  posses- 
sions of  the  last  gift  of  the  dying  sweetheart. 

1.  i.  Xfyltfc,  the  most  northern  part  of  Europe  according  to  the 
ancients.  Here  merely  a  fabulous  and  distant  land. 

1.  5-  (£3  gtttg  tfyttt  ttid)t3  boriibcr,  he  valued  it  more  than  anything 
else. 

1.  12.  3UflIcirf),  lit.,  "at  the  same  time  as,"  or  "together  with"  (his 
other  possessions)  ;  say,  but. 

19.  ®eifte3=@ruj?. 

First  appeared  in  ©djriften,  1789. 

As  is  related  in  the  I4th  book  of  3)td)tUlig  unb  SBabrbeit,  the  Swiss 
clergyman  and  physiognomist  Lavater  and  the  pedagogical  reformer 
Basedow.  visited  Goethe,  a  few  days  apart,  at  Frankfort,  in  the  summer 
of  1774.  A  little  later  the  three  came  together  at  Ems,  and  from  there 
presently  made  a  trip  down  the  Lahn  and  Rhine  to  Cologne  and  Dus- 
seldorf,  where  Goethe  met  the  brothers  Jacobi.  The  journey  was  full 
of  intellectual  stimulus  for  the  young  poet. 

In  connection  with  the  experiences  of  this  summer  Goethe  says 
(SBerfe,  XXVIII,  284) :  (gin  ©efiibf  aber,  ba§  bei  mtr  gettmltig  itber* 
banb  nabm  unb  fid)  nirfjt  ttmnberjam  geniig  aiijjern  fonnte,  rtmr  bie 
(Smpftnbitng  ber  $ergangenl)ett  itnb  ©egenttwrt  in  ein§:  eine  Shifdjau* 
ung,  bie  etaia§  ©etyenftermtifstgeS  in  bie  ©egentoart  bradjte.  @ie  ift  in 
tttelen  nteiner  gro^eren  unb  fletnern  3lrbetten  au§gebrii(ft  unb  trirft  im 
©ebicfjt  tmmer  tDO^ttbcitig.  This  poem  illustrates  what  Goethe  meant 
by  the  lines  just  quoted.  He  dictated  it  to  Lavater  on  July  18,  as  their 
boat  was  going  down  the  Lahn.  It  was  called  forth  by  the  sight  of  the 
ruins  of  castle  Lahneck.  We  must  imagine  the  spirit  of  the  former 
owner  of  the  castle  (be§  §etben  ebler  ©eift),  standing  on  the  tower, 
looking  at  the  ship  passing  below  and  wishing  it  a  successful  journey 
(ttJofyl  gn  fabren).  He  too  was  once  full  of  the  vigor  of  life  and  en- 
joyed its  pleasures. 

1.  5.  <Scnne,  instead  of  @ebne. 


188  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  19-21. 

1.  10.  t)Crbeljtttr,  say,  -wasted.  Contrasted  with  the  tumultuousness 
of  the  other  half  of  his  life  (1.  9). 

1.  12.    imitter  5tt,  on  and  on.     See  Sel.  10,  note  to  1.  21. 

20.  Sins'  5u  flattens. 

-     First  appeared  in  SScrfe,  1815. 

Like  ©eifte$=©ritf3  this  poem  originated  in  July  18,  1774,  but  later 
in  the  day.  Goethe  tells  of  it  in  2)id)tung  rnib  23ab.rbeit(2Berfe,  XXVIII, 
280) :  2)a§  3tuben!en  an  einen  ttwnberltdjen  2Birt8tifd)  in  $obleng 
fyabe  id)  in  flnfittefoerfen  aufbeiuafyrt. ...  3d)  jafc  gtuifdjen  £auater  unb 
33afebon)  ;  ber  erfte  belebrte  einen  frmbgeiftltdjen  liber  bte  ©ebetmniffe 
ber  Dffenbarung  3>obanni§,  unb  ber  anbere  bemiibte  ftd)  bergeben§, 
einem  bartnacfigen  Sanjmeijler  311  betoeifen,  baft  bie  Saufe  ein  ber= 
alteter  unb  fiir  unfere  3eiten  gar  ntcbt  berecbneter  ©ebraucb  fei.  Unb 
trie  h)ir  mm  fiirber  nacb  $bln  gogen,  fdjrieb  id)  in  irgenb  ein  Alburn: 
tlnb,  lute  nac^  @mmau8,  iueiter  gtng%  etc. 

1-  3-  ^>dfcrr  refers  to  Lavater,  who  was  at  that  time  vicar  or  diaco- 
nus  at  the  2$aifenbau§fird)e  in  Zurich. 

1.  4.    etlteit  fd)ttmr$Clt  ®OU(,  see  Revelations  vi,  5. 

1.  6.    auf  »  .  .  ftrtdj,  went  straight  towards. 

1.  10.  Jljcrtnf ol)itri)fCH,  theriac  was  a  medicine  highly  esteemed  for 
many  centuries  and  almost  down  to  our  own  times.  It  was  an  electuary 
composed  of  more  than  three  score  ingredients  and  supposed  to  be  an 
antidote  for  the  poison  of  animals. 

1.  12.  ShlbllSftabt,  ^erlentfyor  and  @tegd  (1.  9),  see  such  passages 
in  Revelations  as  xxi,  16,  21  and  v,  2. 

1.  16.  $ater,  Basedow  was  almost  fifty-one  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  this  journey.  He  was  fond  of  discoursing  against  infant  baptism. 

1.  27.    .fcnhttCH,  instead  of  £>abn. 

1.  28.    (£mmau£,  see  St.  Luke  xxiv,  13. 

1.  29.  ©Ctft-  Ultb  $CUerfd)rtttett,  the  spirit  and  fire  are  mentioned 
together  here,  as  they  are  in  the  New  Testament. 

21.  Safe  regnen,  n»enn  e3  rcgnen  null. 

First  appeared  in  Hirzel's  53riefe  Don  ©oetbe  an  belrjettfdje  ^rennbe, 
1867. 


Sel.  21, 22.]  NOTES.  189 

These  lines  were  repeated  to  Lavater  on  July  20,  1774,  being  called 
forth  by  the  rain  and  mist  which  interfered  with  the  pleasure  of  that  day's 
journey  on  the  Rhine.  They  are  doubtless  only  Goethe's  version  of 
some  folk-rime. 

22.  5l 

First  appeared  in  @d)rtf ten,  1 789. 

A  copy  of  this  poem,  in  Goethe's  handwriting,  is  entitled 
ger  $rono8,  in  ber  ^oftrfjaife  ben  lOten  Dftober  1774.  The  poet 
Klopstock  arrived  at  Frankfort  about  the  beginning  of  October  on  a 
visit  to  Goethe,  and  the  latter  accompanied  his  guest  a  few  days  later 
at  least  part  of  the  way  to  Karlsruhe.  This  poem  was  probably  written 
after  Goethe  had  separated  from  Klopstock  and  was  returning  to 
Frankfort  alone.  It  represents  life  as  a  journey  in  a  stage-coach  with 
Chronos,  Time,  as  coachman.  @d)VDager  is  a  humorous  term  for 
coachman.  This,  as  well  as  other  odes,  gives  evidence  of  Goethe's 
great  admiration  for  Pindar  in  these  years. 

1.  i.    ftmbe,  instead  of  jpltte. 

1.  4.   JOjJCft,  here  transitive  in  the  sense  of  cause  (by  delay). 

Loathsome  dizziness  ever, 

When  thou  delayest,  assails  me.     (Bowring.) 

1.  6.    fllctd),  even  though. 

1.  9.  In  this  stanza  the  striving  and  the  hope  of  the  ascent  are  men- 
tioned; in  the  next  the  traveler  is  on  life's  hights  and  has  the  wide 
outlook. 

1.  18.  aqitbetJOtf,  here  the  same  in  meaning  as  afoltunggtoofl,  full  of 
presentiments  of,  divining. 

1.  19.  ilbcrbfld),  probably  the  projecting  upper  story  of  the  inn 
which  is  at  one  side  of  the  road.  The  maiden  is  standing  at  the  door 
of  the  inn. 

1.  21.   ftrifdjuitfl,  instead  of  @rfrifdjung. 

1.  22.  be3  SJlrtbdjenS  depends  upon  SBticf,  and  auf  ber  @djtt>ette 
modifies  be8  9JMbd)en§. 

1.  23.  fafoe  bid),  apparently  he  says  these  words  to  himself  and  then 
addresses  the  maiden  with,  2J£ir  Olid),  etc. 

1.  27.    @iel),   bie  ©OUne  fittft!  is  parenthetical  and  ($I)r  fie  fittft 


190  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  22, 23. 

modifies  1.  26.  The  stanza  expresses  the  wish  that  death  may  come 
before  the  infirmities  of  old  age  lay  hold  of  him. 

1.  32.  XfttttfltCtt  modifies  mid),  but  as  it  precedes,  we  expect  rather 
the  uninflected  form  tritnfen. 

1.  33-    9ieif$  Jttirf),  here  in  the  sense  of  bring  me  quickly. 

1.  36.  £ofle,  that  is,  Hades,  the  abode  of  the  departed,  where  Orcus, 
god  of  the  lower  world,  reigns. 

23.  (Senbfrfjrei&eit. 

First  appeared  in  9leiter  $erjiid)  iiber  bic  @djaufptetfunfh  $it§  bent 
g-ranjoftfcfyen.  2ftit  einem  Slnhang  au8  ©oetfyeS  23rieftafd)e,  1776; 
taken  into  SScrfc,  1815. 

This  doggerel  unites  two  poetical  letters  to  Merck.  Lines  I-I2  are 
the  first  portion  of  a  letter  of  December  5,  1774  (the  concluding  portion 
of  which  was  made  up  of  the  poem  now  entitled  $iinftter§  Wbenblieb), 
lines  13-42  are  the  whole  of  the  letter  of  December  4,  except  the 
opening  words,  Slieber.  33niber.  The  difference  in  origin  is  shown  in 
the  different  metrical  structure  of  the  two  parts.  Although  they  have 
thus  been  put  together  as  one  poem,  there  is  no  very  evident  connection 
in  meaning  between  the  two  portions. 

1.  i.  SJlettt  atte3  (vunnfldium  referred  in  the  first  place  to  the  con- 
tents of  the  poem  $iinft(er§  2tbenb(ieb,  the  burden  of  which  is  yearning 
to  comprehend  nature  and  to  commune  with  her.  It  should  not  be 
forgotten  that  Goethe  believed  for  many  years  that  his  real  vocation 
was  possibly  that  of  the  painter.  Even  after  his  experiences  in  Italy 
had  convinced  him  of  his  mistake,  he  retained  a  warm  interest  in  mat- 
ters of  art  and  made  them  his  lifelong  study. 

1.  5.  The  gold  and  wine  (which  are  ber  (Sdw^C  $(0r  of  1.  9)  were 
to  give  warmth  to  the  picture.  At  best  this  stanza  remains 
rather  unintelligible,  as  is  shown  by  the  widely  differing  opinions  of 
commentators  concerning  its  meaning.  But  it  should  be  remembered 
that  the  whole  was  only  a  hasty  letter. 

1.  10.   frtiuiiirmcn,  fdjtuarntenb  ftd)  einbitben.    (DUntzer.) 

1.  13.  This  second  part  is  a  clear  exposition  of  Goethe's  artistic  doc- 
trine at  that  time,  although  his  "gospel "  of  later  years  was  far  different. 
The  third  stanza  deals  with  the  benefits  of  creative  activity  as  contrasted 


Sel.  23, 24.]  NOTES.  191 

with  criticism  (rirf)tet) ;  the  fourth  has  to  do  with  communion  with  na- 
ture; and  the  fifth  finds  all  our  joys  in  ourselves  and  our  surroundings 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  nature's  truths. 

1.  17.  ttltfjfcrfctt,  show  the  teeth  at,  grin  angrily  at  (like  a  dog). 
The  four  lines  17-20  are  symbolical  of  the  critic  face  to  face  with  the 
work  of  others  (long  ©efottneS  unb  ©ebratneS). 

1.  22.  ta(j(of)ltcrmaf;tg,  like  a  day-laborer,  that  is,  vigorously.  The 
lines  21-24  set  forth  in  figure  the  direct  and  fresh  enjoyment  of  nature. 

1.  32.  Banks  and  Solander  accompanied  Cook  on  his  voyage  around 
the  world  and  made  botanical  collections. 

1.  36.  The  spirit  of  Achilles  spoke  to  Odysseus  (Odyssey  XI,  488- 
491,  Palmer's  translation)  : 

"  Mock  not  at  death,  glorious  Odysseus.  Better  to  be  the  hire- 
ling of  a  stranger,  and  serve  a  man  of  mean  estate  whose  living  is  but 
small,  than  be  the  ruler  over  all  these  dead  and  gone." 

1.  39-  9WagiW  (Sjrdcta,  southern  Italy,  so  called  because  of  the  many 
Greek  settlements  there. 

24,  $rometl)eu$. 

First  appeared  in  F.  H.  Jacobi's  liber  bic  £ebre  beg  ©ptnoja  in  23rte* 
fen  an  £errn  SJiofeS  2ftenbel8john,  1785;  taken  into  @d)riften,  1789. 

The  years  after  the  return  from  Strassburg  up  to  the  departure  to 
Weimar  were  the  most  tumultuous  in  Goethe's  life.  It  fairly  seethed 
within  him.  This  is  evidenced  not  only  by  the  utterances  of  himself 
and  his  acquaintances  and  by  his  letters  of  the  period,  but  also  by  the 
great  themes  which  he  began  to  treat  and  either  left  unfinished  or  com- 
pleted in  later  years.  One  of  these  subjects  was  Prometheus.  In 
1773  he  had  completed  two  acts  of  the  drama  of  this  title.  This  frag- 
ment was  not  published  until  1830  in  the  so-called  5In8gabc  letter 
^>anb,  where  the  ode  appears  as  the  beginning  and  fragment  of  the 
third  act.  It  had,  however,  no  real  connection  with  the  drama  either 
in  origin  or  in  contents.  The  manuscript  of  1773  ended  with  the  second 
act  of  the  drama,  and  the  ode  was  of  later  origin.  It  belongs  to  the 
early  part  of  1775  or  more  probably  to  the  latter  part  of  1774.  It  was 
possibly  included  in  the  letter  to  Merck  of  December  4,  1774.  The  re- 
lation of  the  poem  to  Goethe's  own  life  is  set  forth  in  the  fifteenth  book 
of  3Md)tung  unb  Saftrhett  (2Ber!e  XXVIII,  3ioff.). 


192  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  24, 25. 

1.  6.  The  thunderbolts  of  Zeus  can  not  really  injure  the  earth,  the 
abode  of  Prometheus. 

I.  10.    ©lltt,  meaningy?r^,  which  Prometheus  had  stolen  from  heaven 
and  brought  down  to  men,  for  which  deed  he  was  afterwards  punished 
by  the  gods. 

II.  14-20.   These  lines  express  contemptuously  the  thought  that  the 
gods  feed  on  the  sacrifices  offered  by  men,  and  without  them  would 
suffer  want. 

I.  22.    tt)0  fltt£  ttorf)  tittf  neither  the  way  in  nor  out,  that  is,  was  igno- 
rant of  life. 

II.  28-36.    He  had  struggled  alone  against  the  Titans,  had  rescued 
himself  from  the  danger  of  slavery  to  them,  and  then,  in  his  foolish  be- 
lief that  the  gods  had  helped,  had  sent  glowing  thanks  for  his  rescue  up 
to  the  sleeping  Zeus  above. 

11.  42-45.  Time  and  fate,  to  which  the  gods  are  also  subject,  had 
fashioned  him  to  a  man. 

1.  50.    ^littcutriiumc,  hopeful  dreams,  like  unopened  buds. 

25.  9*eue  fiiebe,  neueS  fieben. 

First  appeared  in  the  periodical  3ri§,  March,  1775;  taken  into 
@cf)rifteit,  1789. 

After  the  stormy,  though  evanescent,  passion  for  Friederike  Brion  and 
the  milder  affection  for  Lotte  Buff,  Goethe  seems  to  have  passed  through 
a  number  of  months  in  which  his  heart  was  comparatively  untouched  by 
feminine  charms.  Even  the  episode  with  Maximiliane  La  Roche  can 
not  have  greatly  moved  him.  But  the  close  of  1774  or  the  early  weeks 
of  1775  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  and  profound  passion.  At  that 
time  a  friend  took  him  to  the  house  of  the  widowed  mother  of  Lili 
Schonemann.  Goethe  tells  of  the  visit  in  the  sixteenth  book  of  2)td)= 
tung  Uttb  SSal)rl)Cit  (p.  22  ff.),  and  the  remainder  of  the  autobiography 
is  chiefly  filled  with  the  recital  of  the  love-affair  of  himself  and  Lili. 
The  hold  which  the  beauty,  grace,  and  social  gifts  of  the  young  girl  had 
upon  Goethe  must  have  been  extraordinary.  The  fire  of  the  passion 
still  glows  in  the  recital  in  Sttdjtung  Hltb  SSabrbeit,  although  about 
half  a  century  had  passed  between  the  days  at  Frankfort  and  the  writ- 
ing of  the  latter  part  of  the  autobiography. 


Sel.  25-27.]  NOTES.  193 

Goethe's  love-affairs  were  wont  to  run  a  regular  course :  first,  a  season 
of  fervent  affection,  naturally  varying  in  degree  on  his  part;  then  a 
cooling  of  his  ardor  and  a  breaking  of  intimate  relations;  thirdly,  a 
season  of  grief  for  the  loss  of  the  loved  one  whom  he  had  himself  vol- 
untarily given  up;  and  lastly,  the  return  of  peace  to  his  perturbed  spi- 
rit. Such  was  the  course  of  his  relations  with  Kathchen  Schonkopf, 
with  Friederike  Brion,  and  with  Lili.  In  the  latter  case,  however,  there 
entered  from  the  first  a  struggle  against  his  passion  for  her.  The  con- 
siderations of  prudence  or  wisdom  or  dislike  of  the  marriage  tie,  which 
usually  exerted  themselves  only  after  the  first  ardor  of  his  passion  had 
passed,  came  here  into  play  at  once,  and  made  his  love  for  Lili  one  long 
struggle  with  himself,  intensified,  no  doubt,  by  the  knowledge  that 
neither  his  family  nor  hers  really  approved  the  union  of  the  young 
people. 

The  poem  was  probably  written  early  in  1775  and  shows  vividly  the 
mental  struggles  mentioned  above.  The  same  situation  is  shown  hu- 
morously in  StliS  ^Sarf,  Sel.  30. 

1.  i.    flcliCH,  say,  mean. 

1.  6.    ttwruitt,  relative,  depending  in  sense  on  atte§. 

26,  3u  ben  Seibeit  be3  jungctt  2BertI}er3. 

First  appeared  in  the  second  edition  of  Goethe's  £)te  ?eibett  be§  jltn* 
gen  SBerthers,  *775;  taken  into  SBerte,  1836. 

These  lines  were  written  for  the  second  edition  of  SBertber.  The 
first  stanza  did  duty  as  a  poetical  preface  to  the  first  part  of  the  romance, 
the  second  stanza  serving  the  same  office  for  the  second  part.  Each,  in 
a  way,  pointed  the  moral  of  the  part  to  which  it  was  prefixed.  The  first 
two  lines  exhibit  Werther  as  the  ideal  lover,  the  next  two  bewail  the 
pain  caused  him  by  his  hopeless  love,  while  the  last  stanza  warns  against 
his  weakness. 

27.  STuf  bcm  (See. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

In  May,  1775,  Goethe  began  that  journey  to  Switzerland  which  was, 
in  fact,  a  flight  from  Lili  in  the  endeavor  to  free  himself  from  the  at- 
tractions of  her  charms.  5tuf  bem  @ee  is  an  outcome  of  this  journey, 


194  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  27-29. 

having  been  written  on  the  morning  of  June  15  on  Lake  Zurich.     The 
rough  draft  is  still  preserved  in  Goethe's  diary  (£agebiid)er,  I,  2). 

1.  6.  The  waves  move  the  boat  up  and  down,  keeping  time  with  the 
beat  of  the  oars. 

I.  7.    The  mountains  about  Lake  Zurich  seem   at   places,  as  one  ap- 
proaches them  on  the  water,  to  be  about  to  block  the  course  of  the  boat. 
Hence  this  graphic  use  of  begegneit. 

II.  9-12.    These  lines  are  inspired  by  the  thought  of  Lili. 

1.  14.  @tente,  probably  referring  to  the  many  reflections  of  the  sun 
in  the  dancing  waves. 

1.  15.  trinfett,  bold  poetic  use  of  the  word  in  the  sense  of  obscure 
the  view  of. 

28. 


First  appeared  in  @d)rif  ten,  1  789. 

Written  on  the  same  day  as  the  preceding  poem  and  following  it  im- 
mediately in  Goethe's  diary  of  the  time. 
1.  2.    23Utf,  with  the  force  of  SInbUcf. 

29.  $unbe£Ueb. 

First  appeared  February,  1776,  in  Wieland's  periodical,  £)er  teittfcfye 
2fterfur,  with  the  title,  23unbe«tteb,  eincm  jungen  ^Saare  gejungen  Don 
SSicrcn;  taken  into  ©cfyriften,  1789,  with  many  changes. 

The  flight  to  Switzerland  having  failed  of  its  purpose,  Goethe  returned 
to  Frankfort  to  struggle  again  with  his  passion  for  Lili.  The  conflict 
lasted  some  three  months  longer  and  ended  with  the  cessation  of  all  re- 
lations as  lovers  in  the  autumn  of  1775.  Meanwhile  Goethe  had,  how- 
ever, passed  many  happy  and  unhappy  hours  with  Lili  and  in  the  circle 
of  her  friends,  particularly  at  Offenbach,  which  is  not  far  from  Frank- 
fort. Among  the  friends  at  Offenbach  was  Pastor  Ewald,  whose  mar- 
riage took  place  on  September  10,  and  whose  birthday  came  on  Septem- 
ber 1  6.  For  one  or  other  of  these  events  Goethe  wrote  23unbe§Heb.  In 
2)icf)tung  unb  SSahrtjcit  he  states  that  the  birthday  called  it  forth;  com- 
mentators have  mostly  agreed  in  thinking  that  the  wedding  was  the 
more  probable  cause. 

As  revised  for  the  edition  of  1789,  it  was  in  many  respects  a  new 


Sel.  29,  30.]  NOTES.  195 

poem.  The  former  concluding  stanza  was  entirely  omitted,  and  the 
whole  was  so  completely  changed  that  its  original  purpose  as  wedding 
or  birthday  song  was  no  longer  evident.  The  song  had  become  gen- 
eral in  its  application,  fit  to  be  sung  at  the  meetings  of  any  fraternity  or 
society.  As  such  its  use  was  widespread  in  Germany,  even  in  Goethe's 
lifetime,  and  as  such  it  must  now  be  interpreted.  Goethe's  procedure 
here  was  the  same  as  with  the  revision  of  others  of  his  poems  which 
had  their  origin  in  special  occurrences.  The  changes  made  them  gen- 
eral and  typical  instead  of  local  and  individual.  They  were  made  fit 
for  all  times  and  all  men. 

1.  7.  entCUert,  The  received  punctuation  of  the  lines  requires  cr= 
neitert  to  be  the  imperative,  addressed  to  the  assembled  members. 

1.  15.  S3et  jebeitt  nCUCU  S3wtbe  may  be  understood  as  applying  to 
the  admission  of  new  members. 

1.  19.  (SJettieftt  is  the  imperative.  —  bte  frctC  233cife,  that  is,  the 
unaffected,  natural  manners  and  freedom  from  restraint  of  the  members 
of  the  organization  among  themselves. 

1.  26.  Jttit  freicitt  i*eben3bli(ff  with  untrammded  vinvs  of  life. 
Bowring  translates,  "with  life-discernments  free." 

1.  29.    flcbriiltflCt,  oppressed,  annoyed. 

1.  30.    fid)  Derlttirfett,  be  destroyed. 

30.  £i«£  $arf, 

First  appeared  in  ©djriften,  1789. 

This  poem  undoubtedly  belongs  to  the  months  of  the  relationship 
with  Lili,  but  the  exact  date  of  composition  is  uncertain.  In  SHdjtung 
unb  SSa^rljeit  (2Berfe,  XXIX,  158)  Goethe  tells  of  the  vexation  with 
which  he  saw  the  crowd  of  admirers  about  Lili  at  the  time  of  the 
Frankfort  fair  in  September,  1775.  A  few  lines  further  on  he  states, 
somewhat  uncertainly,  that  the  poem  belongs  to  about  this  period. 
Von  Loeper  and  other  commentators  set  it  in  the  spring  of  1775,  prior 
to  the  Swiss  journey,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  hardly  be  possible 
for  Goethe  to  write  thus  humorously  of  the  matter  almost  on  the  eve  of 
the  breaking  of  the  engagement  with  Lili.  Nevertheless  September 
seems  reasonable.  The  feelings  which  he  gives  to  the  bear  are  only 
humorous  reflections  of  his  own  state  of  mind  in  those  days,  at  one 


196  GOETHES    GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  30. 

moment  joyous,  at  another  despairing,  and  full  at  all  times  of  contending 
desires  to  possess  Lili  and  to  be  free.  Besides,  why  should  he  not  be 
able  to  see  the  humorous  side  of  the  affair,  even  if  he  were  about  to 
break  his  engagement? 

The  title  ^J3ar!  refers  to  a  sort  of  zoological  garden  or  collection  of 
animals  in  a  park. 

1.  2.    mcincr  fitli  iljre,  lit.,  "my  Lili's  hers,"  that  of  my  Lili. 

1.  3.  Xicre,  these  are  the  ^Sritt-JCtt  of  1.  7.  The  animals  are  to  be 
regarded  as  enchanted  princes. 

1.  22.  (skfrfnuetcje,  to  say  nothing  of.  —  £a  gel)tT3  an  ein  $irfen, 

then  begins  a  picking. 

1.  31.    $ipi,  the  call  for  chickens,  and  in  1.  67  the  chicken  itself. 

1.  38.  UHflclcrft,  unlicked,  ungainly.  It  used  to  be  believed  that 
the  bear's  cubs  were  born  misshapen  and  had  to  be  licked  into  shape. 
—  UltflC^OflCU,  ill-bred. 

1.  39-    83efrf)luft,  enclosure,  i.e.  the  ^arf. 

1.  46.  The  bystanders  take  up  the  word  trf)  of  1.  44,  which  he  uttered 
apparently  unintentionally,  and  he  is  thus  compelled  to  admit  that  he  is 
the  bear. 

1.  48.   ftUetfdjnra,  geftricfteS  ober  geftebteS  9*efc.     (Strehlke.) 

1.  70.  nitfflCftuM,  trimmed.  It  was  then  the  fashion  to  trim  trees 
into  all  sorts  of  fanciful  shapes. 

1.  71.  !80uUngreen,  partly  French  and  partly  English  for  bowling 
green,  meaning  here  merely  the  smooth  lawn. 

1.  78.  blctt  ,  ,  ,  lUCber,  pulls  down  like  a  leaden  weight,  weighs 
down. 

1.  79.    tyfifelt  .  ,  .  ttnbcr,  pulls  back  (as  with  a  barbed  hook). 

1.  81.  tttt  gcfUttftcUen  $a£fabeit,  artificial  cascades.  The  Oreades, 
or  mountain  nymphs  of  1.  84  were  figures  used  to  ornament  the  cascades. 

1.  89.    UJttrm,  ulittcUoU,  because  he  hears  her  voice. 

1.  97.    tdpftg,  awkward. 

I.  100.    jitffcit,  the  same  as  jucfeit. 

II.  110-112.    Come  now,  gently  !  {Give  me}  your  paw  !  And  make 
your  bow  like  a  nice  gentleman. 

1.  115.    fltf)  Utttti'llj  tnadjCtt,  be  overbold. 
1.  131.    bltmpf,  oppressive,  distressing. 


Sel.  31-33.]  NOTES.  197 

31.  Sftt  cm  golbtteS  £0-5,  ba3  cr  am  £alfe  trug. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

On  June  23,  1775,  Goethe  was  on  the  St.  Gothard  pass,  struggling  to 
decide  whether  to  prolong  his  journey  into  Italy  or  to  return  to  Lili. 
In  this  connection  he  says  in  S)id)tung  Wtb  28af)rfieit  (2Ber!e,  XXIX, 
130)  :  (Sin  gofbne§  ^ergdjen,  ba§  id)  in  fcijonften  ©tunben  Don  iljr  er= 
hatten  hatte,  tying  nod)  an  bemfetben  33anbd)en,  an  tueldjem  fie  e§  um= 
fnitpfte,  lieberttwrmt  an  meinem  £atfe.  3d)  faftte  e§  nnb  fiiftte  eg; 
mag  ein  baburd)  tterantafjteS  £ieb  and)  bier  eingefdjaltet  fetn.  This 
seems  to  mean  that  the  poem  was  composed  at  that  time.  Commen- 
tators have,  however,  generally  concluded  from  the  internal  evidence  of 
the  poem  that  it  must  have  originated  after  the  engagement  had  been 
broken  off.  This  seems  to  be  the  more  probable  supposition.  His 
thoughts  still  turned  to  Lili,  even  in  the  first  weeks  at  Weimar. 

32.  SaerS  Weitblieb, 


First  appeared  January,  1776,  in  Wieland's  £>er  teiltfdje  9fter!ur  with 
the  title,  3tiger§  ^OC^tUeb;  taken  into  @d)rif,ten,  1789,  with  changes. 

The  time  of  its  composition  is  unknown,  but  it  seems  not  improbable 
that  it  was  written  before  the  end  of  1775  and  after  Goethe's  arrival  in 
Weimar,  called  forth  by  recollections  of  Lili  and  possibly  influenced  by 
the  poet's  participation  in  the  pleasures  of  the  hunt.  It  may  have 
originated  earlier,  however,  or  have  reference  to  some  other  than  Lili. 

As  the  hunter  is  roving  about  in  search  of  game,  the  image  of  his 
beloved  one  appears  to  him.  This  causes  him  to  reflect  that  she  too  is 
possibly  strolling  about  in  field  and  valley  at  the  same  hour,  and  to 
wonder  whether  his  image  also  appears  to  her.  The  parallelism  of  the 
first  two  stanzas  is  also  shown  in  ftiK  ttttb  tt)Ub  of  1.  I  and  ftttt  ttttb 

milb  of  1.  5. 

33.  2(tt  fiUi. 


First  appeared  in  1869  in  Hempel's  edition  of  ©oetbeS 

These  lines  were  written  in  January  or  February,  1776,  in  a  copy  of 

Goethe's  (Stella,  sent  by  him  to  Lili.     In  1866  this  copy  of  @tetta  was 

purchased  by  the  grand  duchess  and  is  now  in  the  library  at  Weimar. 


198  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  33-35. 


Compare  the  first  four  lines  of  the  poem  with  the  first  stanza  of 
SlbenbUeb. 
1.  5.  £ier,  i-e.  in  ©tefla. 


34. 

First  appeared  in  Pfenninger's  (£hriftlid)e§  Sftagajin,  1780,  with  the 
title,  Um  griebe;  taken  into  @d)riften,  1789. 

The  original  manuscript,  sent  as  a  letter  to  Frau  von  Stein  and  in- 
tended for  her,  ends  with  the  words  :  5tm  £>ong  beS  (Sttergberg,  b.  12. 
gebr.  76.  ©. 

A  new  and  powerful  influence  had  come  into  Goethe's  life.  His 
intimacy  with  Frau  von  Stein  was  in  its  early  stages,  and  the  poet  had 
turned  his  affections  towards  her.  She  was  to  be  for  ten  years  perhaps 
the  most  potent  influence  of  his  being.  It  was  a  strange  and  unnatural 
intimacy,  which,  whether  Platonic  or  not,  could  not  fail  in  the  long  run 
to  be  hurtful.  The  poem  is  a  reflection  of  the  unrest  which  possessed 
Goethe  in  the  earlier  stages  of  his  relations  to  her. 

35.  28arum  gabft  bu  wtS  bic  ttcfcn  Sltrfe. 

First  appeared  in  Scholl's  ®oethe«  Sriefc  an  grau  Don  @tein,  1848. 

This  poem  was  sent,  like  the  preceding,  as  a  letter  to  Frau  von  Stein 
and  was  dated,  April  14,  1776.  The  first  four  lines  are  the  key  to  the 
whole  :  The  lament  that  fate  has  given  them  such  clear  perception  of 
the  dangers  of  the  future,  if  they  give  themselves  up  unrestrainedly  to 
their  love,  that  they  dare  not  fully  enjoy  the  present.  His  letters  to 
her  at  that  time  show  clearly  that  he  was  chafing  under  the  restraint 
which  she  required  of  him,  doubtless  because  she  was  mindful  that  she 
was  the  wife  of  another.  It  is  scarcely  conceivable  that  his  passion  had  at 
that  time  aroused  any  answering  passion  in  her,  and  the  poem  must  be 
considered  merely  as  the  expression  of  his  own  feelings. 

1.  4.  ttwfyttettb  feltfl  ttimmer  JjiltStttrantt,  in  blissful  delusion  never 
to  give  ourselves  up  to, 

1.  9.  Here  begins  the  contrast  between  them  and  the  many  thou- 
sands of  others  who  do  not  understand  their  own  hearts  and  who  live 
blindly  in  the  present,  sorrowing  or  rejoicing  as  the  moment  bids. 


Sel.  35,36.]  NOTES.  199 


1.  10.    bum^f  fid)  tret&Cttb,  drifting  on  almost  unconsciously. 
1.  16.    tUCti)fc(fcitTjje  is  explained  by  the  following  lines. 

I.  19.  auf  .  .  ,  au^jugeljett,  to  go  out  to  seek.  — 

XriUUttflcf  rtljl',  i.e.  the  happiness  and  danger  are  either  as  unreal  or  as 
transitory  as  a  dream. 

II.  23-24.    Unlike  the  empty  dreams  and  vain  divinations  of  others, 
what  they  dream  and  divine  is  only  too  true,  confirmed  by  their  every 
meeting  and  every  glance. 

1.  26.    rettt  is  merely  strengthening  here;   rein  geitail,  very  closely. 

1.  28.  Compare  with  these  lines  the  fragmentary  letter  to  Wieland 
(SBriefe,  III,  51)  :  3d)  fann  mir  Me  33ebeutfamfeit  —  bie  Sftadjt,  bie 
biefe  ^rau  iiber  mid)  bat,  anber§  nidjt  erflaren  al8  burd)  bie  @eelen= 
roanberung.  —  3a,  fair  roaren  einft  SJtonn  unb  2Betb  !  —  9?un  roiffen 
our  Don  un§  —  rjerhiittt,  in  ©eifterbuft.  —  3dj  fiabe  feine  9?amen  fur 
un§  —  bie  SBergangenheit  —  bie  gufunft  —  ba§  2(11. 

1.  32.  burdjbringt,  i.e.  she  could  easily  read  his  secret  thoughts, 
while  others  could  not  fathom  him. 

1.  35-    ruljte  Uttf,  rested  and  was  restored. 

\.  38.  ucrguufcht,  "  make  pass  as  if  by  jugglery,"  make  pass  delight- 
fully. 

\.  46.    ttttr  ttDdj,  i.e.  in  this  present  existence. 

36.  JKaftlofe  Siefce. 

First  appeared  in  ©c^rif  ten,  1  789. 

Herder's  copy  has  date  and  place,  3ftttenait,  ben  6.  9ftai  1776.  This 
fixes  the  time  of  composition,  which  is  also  confirmed  by  the  fact  that 
snow  fell  at  this  time  at  Ilmenau,  as  is  shown  by  Goethe's  letter  of  May 
4  to  Karl  August.  That  his  passion  for  Frau  von  Stein  inspired  the 
poem  is  evident.  Its  whole  burden  is  the  bittersweet  of  his  love  for 
her.  Biedermann  (©oetfte^orfdjwigen,  •Keiie  $?olge,  309)  sees  in  the 
poem  influences  of  a  ballad  from  Percy's  Reliques,  Love  will  jind  out  the 
way. 

1.  8.    mid)  f  djlagett,  /£^  my  way. 

1.  ii.    atte  ba3  !Wetgett,  all  the  yearning.     (Bowring.) 

1.  12.    4?er§Ctt  is  both  times  singular. 

1.  15.    As  punctuated  here  the  line  reads,  How  shall  I  flee  ?  as  if  he 


200  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  37, 38. 

were  asking  by  what  means  he  might  escape.  In  Herder's  copy  the 
line 'is,  SBic?  @ott  id)  fliefym  ?  ("What!  Shall  I  flee?")  as  if  the 
thought  of  flight,  as  he  had  once  before  fled  to  Switzerland  from  Lili, 
were  at  that  moment  arising  in  his  soul.  This  latter  punctuation  has 
much  in  its  favor. 

1.  2O.    iitcfjC,  as  usual,  the  abstract,  not  "  the  loved  one." 

37.  ($ittfrf|rattfuttfl. 

First  appeared  in  @d)nften,  1789. 

In  its  original  form  this  poem  was  written  at  Stiitzerbach,  near  Ilmen- 
au,  on  August  3,  1 776,  and  sent  as  inclosure  in  a  letter  to  Lavater  about 
three  weeks  later.  It  was  then  entitled  S)em  @rf)t(ffal.  The  version 
published  in  @d)ftf  ten,  1 789,  which  is  followed  here,  differed  greatly  from 
the  original.  For  example,  the  fourth  and  fifth  lines  formerly  ran,  3JMn 
$arl  mib  icf)  ocrgeffen  hier,  SSic  feltfam  itnS  etn  tiefeS  ©djicffat  feitet. 
The  new  version  omitted  all  reference  to  Karl  August  and  made  such 
other  changes  that  it  and  the  original  form  have  little  in  common  after 
the  first  three  lines,  which  are  nearly  the  same  in  both,  except  the  ex- 
pression of  the  conviction  that  fate  has  great  things  in  store  for  him  in 
the  future. 

1.  8.  ba3  redjtC  "JJfnf;.  He  had  already  experienced  the  extremes 
of  joy  and  of  sorrow  and  wished  that  the  future  might  in  all  things  hit 
upon  the  right  measure,  the  golden  mean. 

1.  9.  What  can  I  do  now,  except,  wrapped  in  myself  (like  an  un- 
opened bud),  etc. 

38.  @cefal)rt. 

First  published  in  the  periodical  2)eutfcf)e§  SRllfeum,  September, 
1777;  taken  into  @d)riften,  1789,  with  changes. 

Herder's  copy  is  dated  September  n,  1776.  A  copy  was  sent  on 
September  16  of  that  year  to  Lavater  and  also  to  Merck.  Under  the 
figure  of  a  voyage  at  sea  Goethe  sets  forth  his  departure  from  Frankfort 
and  the  changing,  sometimes  stormy,  experiences  of  the  first  months  at 
Weimar.  The  haven  from  which  he  starts  is,  of  course,  Frankfort.  He 
had  grown  much  dissatisfied  with  his  condition  and  environments  there, 
and  always  viewed  his  going  to  Weimar  as  a  release  from  surroundings 


Sel.  38.]  NOTES.  201 

which  might  have  become  unendurable.  He  began  his  voyage  with  re- 
joicing. 

And  yet  his  position  at  Weimar  had  its  difficulties  in  those  months. 
He  was  a  sort  of  storm  center  of  the  contrary  winds  of  ducal  and  social 
favor  and  of  political  and  social  intrigues  directed  against  him.  The 
affairs  of  court  and  state  seemed  likely  to  divert  him  from  his  life's  pur- 
pose. When  he  wrote  the  poem,  the  outcome  was  as  yet  unknown,  but 
he  closes  with  firm  confidence  in  the  gods  controlling  his  destiny.  A 
comparison  with  (Sirtfcfiraitfung  is  instructive,  ©eefafyrt  abounds  in 
bold  figures  of  speech  and  bold  syntactical  constructions. 

1.  6.    gonneit,  "not  begrudge,"  say,  wish. 

1.  7.    IjofyC,  important. 

1.  9.   ttiirb  bir  JHittffe^renbem  in  itnfern  5lrmen  2iefcT  unb  $rei3 

(jUteil).  For  this  use  of  the  participle  SRiidfefyrenbem  see  Sel.  22, 
note  to  1.  32. 

1.  12.    Clttjautf)3t,  here,  woke  us  with  shouts  of  joy. 

1.  15.  bluljCH,  an  unexpected  use  of  the  word,  referring,  of  course, 
to  the  fact  that  the  sails  are  swollen  by  the  wind. 

1.  20.    lufifyllCUb,  imagining  that  he  was  to  have. 

I.  22.    (JOttjjefflhbt,  sent  of  the  gods,  not  the  Christian  conception  of 
God-sent.  • —  293erf)felttHUbe,  changing  winds. 

II.  24-26.    That  is,  he  tacks.     The  poet  now  conceives  himself  as  the 
boatman,  the  (Sdjiffer,  of  1.  32. 

1.  26.    fdjtef,  devious,  as  he  is  driven  out  of  the  direct  course. 

1.  27.  bltntpf,  say,  indistinct.  In  earlier  years  Goethe  was  very  fond 
of  this  word  and  often  used  it  in  ways  which  defy  satisfactory  translation 
into  English. 

1.  33-    Safle,  i.e.  the  ship. 

1.  36.  $eftClt,  supply  land.  The  letters  of  the  time  to  Goethe  and 
from  him  show  the  anxiety  of  his  friends  for  him. 

1.  45.  Note  the  words  of  his  letter  of  March  6,  1776,  to  Lavater:  3cf) 
bin  nun  ganj  etngefdjifft  anf  ber  SBoge  ber  SSelt  —  tooK  entfd)toffen: 
^u  entbecfen,  geannnen,  ftretten,  fcfjeitern,  ober  mid)  mit  after  tabling 
in  bic  Suft  jn  fprengen. 


202  GOETHES    GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  39,40. 

39.  £offmwg. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

The  poem  is  assigned  conjecturally  to  November,  1776,  or  a  little 
later.  In  April  of  that  year  Goethe  took  possession  of  the  house  and 
garden  on  the  Ilm,  which  were  presented  to  him  by  Karl  August.  On 
the  first  day  of  the  following  November  he  planted  linden  trees  there 
(£agebiid)er,  I,  26),  and  the  poem  was  probably  composed  then  or  not 
long  afterwards.  While  doubtless  called  forth  by  his  wishes  for  the 
growth  of  the  trees,  it  refers  symbolically  to  his  future  at  Weimar  and 
the  successful  completion  of  his  work  there. 

1.  i.  <5d|affr,  bring  it  to  pass.  He  addresses  §ohe8  ©Iticf,  and  bd8 
Xagirjerf  is  in  apposition  to  e§  of  1.  2. 

40.  H'icbcbcimrfni*. 

First  appeared  in  @ct)viften,  1789. 

Sent  to  Frau  von  Stein,  dated  November  2,  1776,  and  with  the  title, 
5tn  ben  ©eift  be8  3ohcmne8  ©efunbltS.  Under  this  pseudonym  were 
published  the  Latin  poems  of  the  Dutchman  Jan  Everard  (1511-1536). 
Goethe  had  become  acquainted  with  these  poems  a  few  years  before 
and  took  up  his  Basia  (kisses}  again  in  the  autumn  of  1776.  The  in- 
fluence of  the  Dutchman  can  apparently  be  traced  in  several  of  Goe- 
the's lyrics  and  also  in  9tomtfd)e  (Slegien  (for  a  detailed  account  of  Goe- 
the's indebtedness  to  Johannes  Secundus  see  ®oethe=3ahrbud),  XIII, 
995  C). 

The  manners  of  Weimar  society  were  somewhat  lax  at  that  time,  and 
kisses  were  not  hard  to  obtain.  Kissing  games  were  not  unknown  even 
at  court.  Goethe  was  just  then  annoyed  by  chapped  lips.  In  his  letter 
of  November  3,  he  asks  Frau  von  Stein  to  send  him  a  remedy  for  them. 
The  poem  originally  began  with  the  line,  £ieber,  Ijetltger,  grower  buffer. 
It  was  a  humorous  explanation  of  the  cause  of  his  chapped  lips,  with 
none  of  the  sentiment  expressed  in  the  new  title  and  in  the  last  two 
lines  as  they  now  exist.  In  preparing  the  version  for  his  ©cfiriften, 
Goethe  omitted  all  references  to  Johannes  Secundus,  made  other 
changes,  and  cut  the  poem  down  to  about  half  its  former  length. 

1.  2.    toer,  say,  even  if  some  one. 


Sel.  41,42.]  NOTES.  203 


41.  $etger  <$eban!ett 

First  appeared  in  £f)eater=$dfenber  auf  bd§  3dl)r  1Y78;  taken  as  a 
separate  poem  into  Sftadjgefaffene  SBerte,  1833. 

The  lines  were  written  as  a  part  of  the  play  Site,  which  was  given  on 
the  birthday  of  the  grand  duchess,  January  30,  1777.  They  were  there 
sung  by  the  fairy  Sonna.  The  play  was  revised,  while  Goethe  was  in 
Italy,  and  the  poem  was  then  assigned  to  the  physician  Verazio  in  the 
role  of  Magus,  who  sings  the  lines  to  encourage  Lila,  who  has  become 
temporarily  insane  over  the  supposed  death  of  her  husband. 

1.  8.    Xnti?,  instead  of 


42.  ^arjreifc  im  293inter. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riftett,  1789. 

This  ode  has  from  the  time  of  its  publication  caused  difficulty  to  both 
readers  and  commentators  because  of  its  lack  of  unity.  At  first  reading 
it  seems  to  consist  of  a  number  of  disconnected  poems  under  one  title, 
as  if  the  poet  at  each  stage  of  his  journey  had  cast  into  poetical  form 
his  experiences  and  feelings,  only  to  begin  with  a  new  theme  at  the 
next  stage.  Nor  does  further  study  lead  to  a  conclusion  essentially 
different.  While  the  poem  has  striking  excellences  in  language  and 
rhythmic  movement,  in  bold  thoughts  and  images,  it  suffers  from  lack 
of  unity  and  occasional  obscureness. 

The  history  of  its  origin  is,  however,  reasonably  clear.  Goethe's  own 
account  of  the  poem,  as  printed  in  Uber  $linft  Uttb  3UtertI)Um  in  1821, 
and  the  testimony  of  his  diary  and  of  his  letters  to  Frau  von  Stein  are 
the  important  sources  of  information  about  it. 

The  peasants  about  Eisenach  complained  of  the  damage  done  to 
their  crops  by  the  overabundant  game,  and  Karl  August  therefore 
determined  to  undertake  a  great  boar  hunt  in  that  region  in  order  to 
remedy  the  evil.  Goethe  was  to  accompany  him,  but  received  per- 
mission to  make  a  detour  to  the  Harz  mountains  before  joining  the 
hunting  party.  His  reasons  for  this  journey  were  two.  In  the  first 
place,  he  wished  to  gain  some  acquaintance  with  actual  mining  opera- 
tions in  the  Harz  mountains,  as  he  and  Karl  August  already  had  in 
view  the  reopening  of  the  mines  at  Ilmenau.  The  second  reason  was 


204  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  42. 

his  desire  to  visit  a  hypochondriac,  named  Plessing,  who  lived  at  Wer- 
nigerode  and  who  had  written  to  beseech  his  aid  and  advice.  Doubt- 
less the  attractions  of  the  slightly  dangerous  journey  and  the  prospect 
of  a  few  days'  relief  from  business  responsibilities  and  the  sometimes 
wearisome  occupation  as  mentor  and  intimate  friend  of  Karl  August 
were  not  without  their  influence. 

He  set  out  from  Weimar  on  horseback,  under  an  assumed  name,  on 
November  29,  1777,  visited  Plessing,  inspected  mines,  ascended  the 
Brocken  on  December  10,  and  joined  Karl  August  at  Eisenach  a  few 
days  later.  His  diary  shows  that  the  poem  was  begun  on  December  I. 
Portions  were  probably  written  on  different  days,  but  the  latter  part 
could  not  have  been  composed  before  the  ascent  of  the  Brocken.  The 
actual  completion  of  the  poem  may  have  been  deferred  to  the  latter 
part  of  December  after  the  return  to  Weimar. 

1.  6.  After  the  introductory  words  of  the  first  five  lines,  Goethe  pro- 
ceeds to  treat  of  the  two  classes  of  mankind  represented  by  $)er  (SHurf= 
HcfjC  of  1.  9  and  by  2Bem  aber  llnnlitrf,  etc.,  of  1.  12. 

I.  17.    bie  bodj  bittere  (Sdjere,  referring  to  the  cutting  of  the  thread 
of  existence  by  the  Fates.     The  phrase  bie  bod)  bittere  shows  that  the 
unfortunate  fear  death,  even  though  they  are  unhappy  in  life. 

II.  19-23  are  an  aside.  —  $>i(firf)t!§=8djatter,  say,  awesome  thicket. 

I.  23.    <3iitttpfe,  seemingly  the  cities  as  the  abode  of  the  rich. 

II.  24-28,  referring  again  to  the  fortunate.     JyortlUtn,  the  goddess  of 
fortune. 

11.  29-50,  referring  again  to  the  unfortunate,  doubtless  called  forth 
by  thoughts  of  Plessing.  —  dbfcitS,  that  is,  off  the  road  on  which  the 
chariot  of  Fortuna  goes. 

1.  36.  of  him  with  whom  the  balsam  (of  love}  has  turned  to  the  poison 
(of  hate).  The  idea  is  carried  out  further  in  the  following  lines.  A 
man  full  of  love  for  others  has  felt  himself  met  coldly  and  disdainfully, 
and  his  love  has  therefore  turned  to  hatred  of  mankind.  Hence  tier* 
ad)tet  and  SSeradjter  of  1.  39. 

I.  42.  <SeIbftfHtf)t,  not  selfishness,  but  rather  undue  self-introspection, 
"brooding  over  himself."   (Dwight.) 

II.  51-59,    referring  to  the  hunting  party,  which  he  was  soon  to  join, 
and  to  former  attempts  of  the  peasants  to  prevent  the  ravages  of  the 
wild  animals. 


Sel.  42,43.]  NOTES.  205 

I.  60.    From  here  to  1.  82  the  poem  deals  with  the  poet  himself. 

II.  66-81  refer  to  the  various  stages  of  the  journey,  culminating  in 
the  ascent  of  the  Brocken.     'JitC  bfinttttcrubc  ^furfel  is  the  moon. 

1.  73.    fcetjettbeit,  say,  cutting. 

1.  75.    That  is,  the  noise  of  the  falling  water  mingles  with  his  psalms. 

1.  77.  3Htar,  In  the  evening  after  his  descent  from  the  mountain 
Goethe  wrote  in  a  letter  to  Frau  von  Stein :  3d)  tt>ar  obcn  fjeitt  Uttb 
babe  auf  bem  SeufelSaltar  meinem  ©ott  ben  liebften  3)an!  geopfert. 
The  Brocken  is  famed  in  German  song  and  story  as  the  meeting  place 
of  witches,  etc.  Notice  the  name  £eufef3ultar  in  the  passage  just 
quoted  and  ©eiftemiljett  in  1.  80. 

1.  81.  rtljltCltbc,  because  the  existence  of  higher  powers  was  dimly 
felt. 

1.  82.  ^)U  is  addressed  to  the  Brocken.  This  mountain  contains  no 
mineral  wealth  and  is  therefore  without  mines;  hence,  Utterforfdjt. 

I.  83.    That  is,  full  of  mystery  and  yet  entirely  visible. 

II.  84-86,    suggested  by  Matthew  iv,  8. 

1.  88.  ttwfjerft.  The  veins  of  metal  in  the  brothers  of  the  Brocken 
help  to  sustain  "the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the  glory  of  them." 

43.  5(tt  ben  2Konb. 

First  published  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

A  copy  of  the  first  version  of  the  poem,  set  to  music  by  von  Secken- 
dorff,  was  sent  to  Frau  von  Stein,  apparently  as  an  inclosure  in  a  letter. 
But  when?  The  date  can  not  be  certainly  established,  but  a  not  un- 
reasonable supposition  connects  the  origin  of  the  poem  with  the  suicide 
of  Christiane  von  Lassberg,  who  drowned  herself  in  the  Urn  on  January 
1 6,  1778.  Goethe  was  supposed  to  refer  to  this  event  in  an  obscure 
passage  of  the  first  version  of  the  poem.  At  some  time  before  the 
Italian  journey  Goethe  revised  the  lines  and  made  of  them  an  essentially 
new  poem. 

In  the  present  version  the  poet  is  represented  as  strolling  alone  in  the 
moonlight  which  awakens  memories  of  past  joys  and  sorrows.  The  noise 
of  the  running  water  (fourth  stanza)  reminds  him  of  a  faithless  sweet- 
heart, but  at  the  same  time  it  awakens  in  him  (sixth  stanza)  new  songs, 
so  that  he  can  consider  himself  blest  (eigth  stanza)  in  being  able  to 


206  GOETHES    GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  43-45. 

separate  himself  from  the  world  without  hating  it  and  in  having  a  friend 
who  shares  the  thoughts  and  feelings  which  come  at  night.  The  poem 
has  been  extravagantly  praised  for  the  wonderful  beauty  and  melodious 
flow  of  its  words,  but  it  is  nevertheless  faulty.  Whatever  of  unity  it 
possesses  must  be  read  into  it;  the  transitions  in  thought  are  not  merely 
unexpected  but  are  totally  without  justification  in  anything  that  goes 
before  them. 

1.  3-    lofeit,  set  free. 

1.  5-    ©efUb,  say,  demesne. 

1.  17.  The  possession  of  which  he  speaks  is  the  love  of  some  maiden. 
Did  he  mean  Lili  Schonemann? 

44.  ®rabfd)Hft. 

First  appeared  in  Urania,  Xafdjertbudj  auf  bag  3>ahr  1839. 

These  lines  formed  part  of  a  letter  of  March  17,  1778  to  Auguste 
Gra'fin  zu  Stolberg,  whose  brothers  were  with  him  during  most  of  the 
Swiss  journey  of  1775.  The  letter  of  which  the  poem  is  a  part,  gives 
no  explanation  of  the  time  of  its  origin  nor  of  the  reason  for  it.  Von 
Loeper  believed  that  it  originated  in  the  poet's  fear  that  he  would  die 
young. 

1.  5.   ol)itl)etriil)tf  instead  of  unbctriibt. 

45.  $>er  ftiffier. 

First  appeared  in  von  Seckendorff's  $Bolf8=  llttb  Oltbcre  £iebev  in  the 
spring  of  1779;  taken  into  @d)rtften,  1789. 

Nothing  more  than  is  revealed  by  the  time  of  publication  is  certainly 
known  with  regard  to  its  origin,  but  it  is  commonly  regarded  as  a  product 
of  the  year  1778.  The  attractive  power  of  water,  represented  here  by 
the  mermaid,  is  not  an  uncommon  theme  in  poetry. 

1.  3.    \Mltfld,  here  masculine,  generally  feminine. 

1.  6.    The  waters  divided  as  they  rose. 

1.  12.  Xobedgtltt,  probably  referring  to  the  air,  in  which  the  fish 
must  die. 

1.  13.    $tfd)leitt  is  dative. 

1.  14.    ©ritltb,  bottom. 


Sel.45, 46.]  NOTES.  207 

17.  Sfltttte,  that  is,  when  setting. 

21.  ^Httttttel,  referring  to  the  reflection  of  the  sky  in  the  water. 

.  22.  f cud) tUCl'f (lift,  transfigured,  or  made  doubly  beautiful  by  the 
water. 

27.  ltwrf)3,  here,  swelled. 

30.  um  ifjlt  gefdjefyen,  all  over  with  him. 

46.  ®efiwg  bcr  ©ciftcr  itfcer  ben  SBaffent. 

First  appeared  in  @d)rtftert,  1789. 

In  the  autumn  of  1 779,  Goethe,  in  company  with  Karl  August,  made 
a  journey  of  some  three  month's  duration  into  Switzerland  by  way  of 
Frankfort.  At  this  time  he  saw  Friederike  Brion  again  and  felt  himself 
forgiven,  and  found  Lili  Schonemann  in  her  new  home,  as  wife  and 
mother,  (Sefortg  bcr  ©etfter  is  one  of  the  poetical  fruits  of  the  journey. 
On  October  9  he  visited  the  ©toitbbad),  the  famous  waterfall  near 
Lauterbrunnen,  and  inclosed  the  poem  in  the  letter  to  Frau  von  Stein 
of  October  14.  It  was  called  forth  by  the  waterfall  and  was  probably 
written  on  the  first  day  of  his  visit  there  or  on  the  next. 

The  interpretation  of  the  poem  is  made  easier  by  a  consideration  of 
the  form  in  which  it  was  sent  to  Frau  von  Stein.  There  the  song  is 
sung  in  alternate  strophes  of  irregular  length  by  two  spirits.  The  first 
sings  lines  1-4,  8-17,  23,24,  28,29,  32>  33»  the  other  lines  being  as- 
signed to  the  second  spirit. 

In  the  present  version  the  first  seven  lines  refer  to  the  rising  of 
the  water  to  the  heavens  in  consequence  of  evaporation  and  of  its 
return  to  earth  in  the  form  of  rain.  Lines  8-17  describe  the  ©tailb* 
Bod).  The  water  there  falls  a  distance  of  about  nine  hundred  feet,  but 
it  is  turned  into  spray  and  mist  before  it  reaches  the  bottom.  The 
second  spirit  was  originally  supposed  to  sing  lines  18-22.  They  de- 
scribe a  very  different  waterfall,  or  rather  the  rapids  of  some  stream. 
Lines  23-27  follow  the  course  of  the  stream  through  the  plain  after  its 
mad  tumble  from  the  hills.  We  see  it  emptying  or  gradually  widening 
into  a  lake,  the  waters  of  which  are  stirred  up  from  the  bottom  by  the 
wind  (11.  28-31).  The  whole  is  a  parallel  between  the  constant  move- 
ment of  the  water  and  human  fate. 

1.  10.    @trfll)f,  referring  to  the  water. 


208  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  46-48. 

1.  18.  racjCtt  ,  .  .  Ctttgegett,  cliffs  project  to  meet  the  plunge,  i.e.  the 
stream  plunges  over  cliffs. 

1.  21.    ftltfCtttoeife,  in  steps,  i.e.  in  rapids. 

47.  @8  ttwr  ein  faufer  @rf)afer. 

First  appeared  in  3ert)  Itnb  SBdtett),  ein  ©ingfptel,  1780;  taken  as  a 
separate  poem  into  9?ad)gelaffene  SBerfe,  1833. 

The  poem  forms  a  part  of  3ert)  Itnb  33atelty  which  was  begun  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  Swiss  journey  of  1779  and  completed  by  the  end  of 
the  year.  The  lines  were  sung  by  Thomas  to  his  friend  in  ridicule  of 
the  latter's  lovesick  condition. 

1.  2.  <Sie&eitfrf)lafcr,  because  he  slept  as  soundly  as  one  of  the 
seven  sleepers  of  Ephesus,  who,  to  escape  from  religious  persecution, 
took  refuge  in  a  cave  and  slept  there  nearly  two  hundred  years. 

1.  4.    fflffcit,  here,  completely  captivate. 

48.  SBanbrerS  9*arf)tlieb. 

First  appeared  in  2Berfe,  1815. 

On  September  6,  1780,  Goethe  was  at  a  shooting  box  on  the  summit 
of  the  Gickelhahn,  the  highest  elevation  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ilme- 
nau,  and  spent  the  night  there.  This  night  or  the  next  morning  he 
wrote  in  pencil  on  the  inner  wall  of  the  upper  story  of  the  house  these 
lines.  The  house  was  burned  down  in  1870.  By  some  the  poem  is 
assigned  to  September,  1783,  at  which  time  also  Goethe  was  at  the 
shooting  box.  The  earlier  date  seems  the  more  probable  on  careful 
weighing  of  the  evidence  for  both. 

At  the  first  writing  the  poem  was  not  the  expression  of  a  desire  for 
rest  in  the  grave  or  for  peace  in  the  life  beyond.  Shortly  before  the 
close  of  his  life  Goethe  did,  however,  give  it  this  application  with 
reference  to  himself.  He  visited  the  house  on  August  27,  1831,  in 
company  with  inspector  Mahr.  He  climbed  the  stairs  to  the  upper 
room,  found  the  poem,  and  in  the  words  of  Mahr:  ©oetbe 
bicjc  toemgen  SBerfc,  mtb  X&rcinen  ftoffen  iiber  feine  SBaiigen. 
langfam  jog  er  fcin  jdjneetueifteg  £afd)entud)  oiiS  feinem  bunfelbrauncn 
Svtdjrocf,  trocfnete  fid)  bie  Xhronen  unb  tyracf)  in  fanftem,  toehmiittgem 


Sel.  48-51.]  NOTES.  209 

£on:  ,,3a:  toarte  nur,  batbe  rufyeft  bit  aud)!"  (Biedermann's  ©oetfyeS 
©eftrcidje,  VIII,  108). 

49.  Sttt  fiiba. 

First  published  in  ©djrtften,  1789. 

This  was  an  undated  letter  to  Frau  von  Stein,  written  from  Gotha 
and  assigned  by  Fielitz  to  the  first  days  of  October,  1781.  The  original 
text  has  Lotte  in  1.  I  instead  of  Lida,  but  is  otherwise  identical  in  word- 
ing with  the  form  given  here. 

1.  10.  Fielitz  remarks:  £)aJ3  (Snbe  ©eptember  1781  in  9Jttttetbeutfdj= 
Icmb  etn  9?orbUd)t  ftdjtbar  getoefen,  l)at  $.  ©oebefc  crmtttelt. 

50.  (grtfmug. 

First  appeared  in  3)ic  giifdjerin,  ein  ©ingtyief,  1782;  taken  as  a 
separate  poem  into  @d)rtften,  1789. 

Included  as  a  song  in  3)ie  ^tjdjevitt,  which  was  first  represented  at 
Tiefurt,  one  of  the  ducal  country  seats,  on  July  22,  1782.  Nothing 
more  can  be  said  with  certainty  concerning  the  origin  of  3)te  ^ifcfjerin 
or  of  the  poem,  although  many  conjectures  have  been  made.  A  ballad, 
(§rlfouig$  £od)ter,  translated  from  the  Danish,  appeared  in  Herder's 
35otMieber  and  seems  to  have  suggested  the  title  and  the  outline  of  the 
theme  of  Goethe's  poem.  By  (SrUontg  is  meant  the  king  of  the  elves. 

1.  3.    ttoljl,  i.e.  securely,  snugly  clasped. 

1.  7.    @rf)tt)eiff  train  (of  his  long  mantel). 
•  1.  18.    UWVtcit,  wait  on,  care  for. 

1.  19.    Ofietljlt,  dance. 

1.  20.    eilt  (modifying  here  rotegeit,  tonjen  and  jingen),  to  sleep. 

1.  32.    4p0ff  here,  (farm}  house. 

51.  5>aS  ®ott«dje. 

First  appeared  in  F.  H.  Jacobi's  liber  bte  £e&re  bc0  @|rino;$a,  1785; 
taken  into  @d)rtfteit,  1789. 

The  poem  was  in  existence  towards  the  end  of  1783,  being  included 
at  that  time  in  the  so-called  Sicflirtcr  3oumat,  a  manuscript  literary 
journal  circulating  in  the  court  circle  of  Weimar.  Nothing  more  is 


210  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  51, 52. 

positively  known  of  the  time  or  occasion  of  its  origin,  although  Suphan 
has  advanced  the  opinion  that  Herder's  copy  dates  from  1781  (®octt)C= 
3al)rbudj,  II,  112). 

I.  5.    The  SBefCtt,  bit  ttJtr  fettlteit,  are  contrasted  with  the  SBcfcit, 
bte  ton*  aljltcit  of  1.  8.     By  the  latter  is  meant  the  gods.     Goethe  often 
says  gods,  however,  when  he  really  means  God,  and  probably  so  here. 

II.  n,  12.    Underlying  these  two  lines  is  the  thought  that  our  con- 
ceptions of  the  gods  (or  God)  are  all  based  on  characteristics  which  we 
see  in  good  and  noble  men.     Therefore  the  example  of  such  a  man 
leads  us  to  believe  in  them. 

1.  13.  ttttfittylettb,  not  "harsh"  or  "cruel,"  but  without  feeling,  be- 
cause alike  to  all.  The  thought  that  all  of  nature's  operations  are  for 
the  evil  as  well  as  the  good  is  amplified  in  the  next  lines. 

1.  26.  Fortune  too  bestows  her  favors  on  the  worthy  and  the  un- 
worthy. 

1.  32.  efjrncil,  brazen,  because  unchangeable  and  unbreakable. 
Notice  be8  ehernen  gabenS,  Sel.  42, 1.  16. 

1-  35-  UttfereS  'JJafeinS  ftreife,  the  circuit  of  our  existence.  (Bow- 
ring.) 

1.  38.  fca3  UttmogUdjC,  i.e.  man  differs  from  the  forces  of  nature, 
etc.,  in  that  he  can  discriminate  between  the  good  and  the  evil. 

I.  47.    2ll(e3  ,  .  .  tJCrbiltbctt,  all  that  wanders  and  strays  can  use- 
fully blend.    (Bo wring.) 

II.  49-54.    These  lines  amplify  the  thought  already  expressed  in  11. 

II,  12. 

1.  52.    im  grofteit,  on  a  large  scale. 

52.  $er  (Sangcr, 

First  appeared  in  Goethe's  novel,  2Btlbetm  2Jteifter§  £ebrjahre,  1795; 
taken  as  a  separate  poem  into  -fteue  @djriften,  1800,  with  changes. 

This  ballad  is  found  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  second  book  of 
SBithelm  2Mfkrg  ^ebrja&re.  Goethe  finished  this  portion  of  the  novel 
in  1 783.  The  ballad  may  be  of  earlier  origin.  In  the  novel  it  is  sung 
by  the  harper,  the  mystery  of  whose  life  and  sorrows  remains  so  long 
unexplained.  He  was  brought  into  Wilhelm's  presence  by  the  landlord 
of  the  inn.  After  describing  the  effect  of  one  of  his  songs  the  novel 
proceeds : 


Sel.  52-54.]  NOTES.  211 

$cmm  batte  er  geenbigt,  al§  tbm  SBitbelm  jurtef:  2Ber  bu  and)  fetft, 
ber  bu,  at§  ein  fjtlfretcfjer  @rf)u£geift,  mit  enter  fegnenben  unb  bele* 
benben  ©ttmtne  ju  nn§  fommft,  nimm  meine  35ereljrung  unb  nietnen 
S)anf !  fiihle,  baft  ttrir  aHe  bid)  benmnbern,  unb  oertrau'  un8,  toenn  bu 
etft>a§  bebarfft. 

£>er  5IIte  fcfjlDteg,  Iteft  erft  feiue  ^n9er  i^er  bit  @aitcn  fcfjteic^eu, 
bann  griff  er  fie  ftcirler  ait  unb  fang. 

Then  followed  the  ballad. 

1.  i.  The  king  hears  the  minstrel  singing  outside  on  the  drawbridge 
and  speaks  lines  1-4.  The  page  goes  as  commanded  and  returns  with 
the  information  to  the  king,  who  speaks  line  7. 

1.  8.    The  minstrel  speaks  the  whole  of  this  stanza. 

1.  17.    brettt,  on. 

1.  22.  The  last  three  stanzas,  with  the  exception  of  line  36,  are 
spoken  by  the  minstrel. 

53.  $>er  ^arfeufoteler. 

First  appeared  in  SBUbetm  2Mfter§  Sebrjafyre,  1795;  taken  as  sepa- 
rate poem  into  SBerfe,  1815. 

These  lines  are  found  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  second  book  of 
28iH)etm  9fteifter8  ^efyrjafyre.  The  facts  known  about  its  origin  are  the 
same  as  for  2>er  ©finger.  It  was  sung  by  the  harper  at  Wilhelm's  re- 
quest :  (Singe  mtr,  rt)a§  bu  rtnttft,  ttmS  gu  beiner  £age  pafct,  nnb  tljne 
nnr,  a(§  ob  id)  gar  iiidjt  fjier  toa're.  (§8  fdjeint  ntir,  a(8  ob  bu  Ijeute 
ntrf)t  trren  fonnteft.  3d)  ftnbe  bt(^  fef)r  glucfttc^,  baft  bu  bid)  in  ber 
(Sinfamfeit  fo  angenel)tn  befc^afttgen  unb  unterbalten  fannft,  unb  ba  bu 
liberal!  ein  ^rembting  btft,  in  beinem  £>er£en  bte  angenefjmfte  33elannt» 
fdjaft  ftnbeft. 

1.  8.    tttt^t  afletlt,  i.e.  Oltat  or  ^etn  will  be  with  him. 

54.  SerfeHie. 

Dates  of  publication  the  same  as  for  Sel.  53. 

Also  to  be  found  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  second  book  of 
SBUbelm  9fteifter3  £ef)rjaf)re,  where  it  precedes  Sel.  53.  The  facts 
known  about  its  origin  have  already  been  mentioned  in  the  notes  to 


212  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  54, 55. 

Sel.  53.  Wilhelm  was  about  to  make  a  visit  to  the  harper,  and  as  he 
stood  outside  his  door,  he  heard  him  sing  this  song.  It  is  a  complaint 
against  the  heavenly  powers  for  having  allowed  him  unwittingly  and  in  all 
innocence  to  commit  evil  (as  is  explained  later  in  the  novel)  and  for 
having  then  left  him  to  his  suffering. 

55.  3fosenau. 

First  appeared  in  S&erfe,  1815. 

In  his  letter  of  August  30,  1783,  Goethe  told  Frau  von  Stein  that  he 
purposed  to  prepare  a  poem  for  the  birthday  of  Karl  August,  which 
came  on  September  3.  He  passed  thereupon  a  few  days  in  Ilmenau 
and  wrote  this  poem.  It  does  honor  to  Goethe  both  as  a  man  and  a 
poet,  and  reveals  the  essential  nobility  of  character  of  the  ruler  who 
could  remain  the  friend  of  the  author  of  such  lines. 

Goethe's  relations  with  the  duke  before  his  Italian  journey  have  often 
been  understood  in  two  radically  different  ways.  On  the  one  hand  he 
has  been  considered  a  court  parasite,  an  ignoble  flatterer,  a  commoner 
seeking  to  curry  favor  with  the  great.  This  view  has  been  more  often 
held  outside  of  his  native  land  than  in  it,  although  not  unknown  there. 
On  the  other  hand,  and  particularly  in  Germany,  where  a  sort  of  Goethe 
cult  rages,  he  has  been  extolled  as  a  great  political  power  in  Weimar, 
and  all  the  good  qualities  of  Karl  August  are  claimed  to  be  of  his  mak- 
ing. Both  views  seem  to  be  incorrect. 

It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  Goethe's  presence  at  Weimar  made  any 
essential  difference  in  the  fortunes  of  the  little  duchy.  Politically  the 
land  was  so  petty  that  imperative  circumstances,  even  more  than  Goe- 
the's influence,  prevented  Karl  August  from  playing  much  of  a  role  in 
the  larger  politics  of  Germany.  He  was  therefore  chiefly  shut  up  to  the 
internal  development  of  the  duchy.  Goethe  doubtless  did  well  such 
administrative  work  as  was  intrusted  to  him,  but  again  the  smallness  o'f 
the  land  made  it  possible  for  any  one  of  fair  abilities  to  do  the  work 
well  enough.  Goethe  had  lofty  views  of  the  office  of  ruler  and  may- 
have  influenced  Karl  August  greatly  by  them,  but  they  were  not  origi- 
nal, and  it  is  therefore  unnecessary  to  conclude  that  the  political  opinions 
of  the  duke  were  largely  his  creation. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Weimar  he  certainly  did  begin  to  look  upon 


Sel.  55.]  NOTES.  213 

himself  as  the  guide  and,  in  a  sense,  the  teacher  of  the  duke,  who  was 
eight  years  his  junior  and  only  a  boy.  After  a  time  he  certainly  did  re- 
strain him  in  many  of  his  excesses.  His  self-imposed  task  had  its  fre- 
quent discouragements.  How  far  this  social  and  moral  influence  ex- 
tended is  hard  to  estimate,  but  it  doubtless  helped  to  form  the  character 
of  the  youthful  duke  and  redounds  to  Goethe's  honor.  On  the  other 
hand,  Weimar  and  the  duke  did  much  to  help  and  form  Goethe,  but 
these  influences  need  not  be  mentioned  here.  Much  of  this  relationship 
is  found  reflected  in  the  poem. 

1.  i.  The  region  round  about  Ilmenau  was  well  known  to  Goethe 
from  frequent  visits  there. 

1.  8.  (grlja&ener  23erg,  he  means  the  (SHdel&ahn.     See  notes  to  Sel. 

48. 

1.  1 1 .    I  as  well  as  others  have  deserved  this  of  you. 

1.  12.  forge  ftiff,  referring  to  the  plans  to  reopen  the  mines  at  Il- 
menau. See  notes  to  Sel.  42. 

1.  16.   295Ub,-see  notes  to  Sel.  42. 

1.  17.    Jitutype,   miner. 

1.  21.  Xrfittttte*  This  means  that  his  request  in  the  two  lines  pre- 
ceding has  been  granted. 

1.  23.  Ittir  ttrieber  felfeft,  von  Loeper  and  others  supply  gcgcBen, 
which  is  apparently  what  Goethe  meant.  Strehlke  and  others  make 
ntir  depend  on  fern,  meaning  that  he  is  far  from  his  present  self,  lost  in 
memory  of  other  days. 

1.  28.  We  are  to  understand  that  imagined  darkness  settles  down 
upon  him  and  that  he  sees  in  vision  the  camp  of  hunters  described  in 
the  following  stanzas.  In  later  years  he  described  to  Eckermann  at 
length  the  camp  which  he  had  in  mind.  (Oefprcicfye,  III,  183.) 

1.  47.  He  refers  to  the  legend  of  ®er  luttbe  3oger.  The  term 
ttnlbe  3togb  is  applied  to  a  tumult  in  the  air  at  night,  supposed  to  be 
caused  by  a  ghostly  crew  on  a  wild  midnight  hunting  expedition. 

1.51.   $gt)ptter,  gypsies. 

1.  52.  He  refers  to  the  prince  and  his  followers  in  the  forest  of  Arden. 
See  Shakespeare's  As  you  like  it. 

1.  53-  ttetfdjhtltgeiten  ©riiltbett,  literally,  interlaced  vales.  The 
camp  was  at  the  foot  of  a  cliff.  It  must  have  been  at  a  comparatively 
level  spot  formed  by  the  common  meeting-place  of  the  openings  of  sev- 
eral ravines. 


214  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  55. 

1.  59.  Goethe  told  Eckermann  that  he  here  meant  von  Knebel,  and 
in  1.  69  von  Seckendorff. 

1.  60.  twdjlaffig  ftarf,  trofe  feiner  ©tcirlc  nadjlaf  jig.  —  britrft,  etn* 
3te&t,  ®egenfa£  gu  erhebt.    (Diintzer.) 
'    1.  65.    trorfctt,  referring  to  his  dry  jokes. 

1.  68.    bar  bar  if  rf)  &ttttt,  in  barbarous  mixture. 

I.  71.  feittgeftalt,  instead  of  feingeftaltet. 

II.  74-76.   As  if  von  Seckendorff  were  soaring  on  high  in  intellectual 
flight  and  singing  a  song   of  his  own   concerning  the  dance  of  the 
spheres. 

72.    efftotifrf)  faitl,  in  ecstatic  laziness. 

79.    3itug(tHg£.     Karl  August  was  only  eighteen  when  Goethe 
first  went  to  Weimar. 

.  86.   The  poet  here  addresses  his  former  self. 

.  89.    auf  ,  .  .  ftebadjt,  to  have  something  important  in  mind. 

99.    and  held  firmly  by  friendship' 's  spell. 
11.  108-111.      He  here  passes  judgment  upon  some  of  his  earlier 
achievements.     The  condemnation  is  perhaps  too  severe,  but  Goethe  had 
entered  into  a  new  phase  of  life,  and  it  was  ever  his  wont  to  criticise 
harshly  modes  of  thought  which  he  had  outgrown  or  laid  aside. 

1.  112.    Referring  to  ©o£  and  possibly  to  others  of  his  early  works. 
1.  117.    In  this  inability  to  comport  himself  as  he  should,  he  probably 
refers  to  the  impetuosity  and   lack  of  regard  for  conventions  which 
marked  his  conduct  in  the  first  years  at  Weimar  as  well  as  at  Frankfort. 
1.  1 20.  The  following  lines  have  reference,  of  course,  to  the  duke  as 
he  was  in  the  earlier  period. 

1.  123.  Cttge3  Sdjtrffnl,  i.e.  fate  restricted  him  to  the  narrow  life  of 
a  ruler.  As  duke,  he  was  not  so  free  as  other  men  to  develop  in  his 
own  way. 

1.  125.  The  vagaries  of  the  young  duke  often  led  Goethe  to  com- 
plain, although  he  recognized  the  underlying  nobility  of  his  character. 

I.  126.   A  favorite  idea  with  Goethe,  that  only  what  we  conquer  for 
ourselves  by  our  own  efforts,  though  it  may  have  been  in  our  possession 
before,  becomes  really  ours. 

II.  140-151.    The  duke  was  in  those  years  prone  to  go  to  extremes. 
No  physical  risk  was  too  great  for  him.     His  undue   exertion  often  led 
to  complete  exhaustion  of  body  and  soul. 


Sel.  55,56.]  NOTES.  215 

1.  154.  XrnuiU,  Evidently  Goethe  does  not  mean  the  same  thing 
by  this  word  here  and  in  each  of  the  two  lines  following.  Here  it  is 
perhaps  contrasted  with  fyalb  erlt)ad)t,  merely  in  the  sense  of  "half 
asleep,"  but  it  more  probably  means,  half  lost  in  gloomy  brooding.  In 
the  next  line  it  seems  to  refer  to  the  anxiety  of  the  young  Goethe  con- 
cerning the  future  of  the  duke. 

1.  156.  With  these  words  the  poet  bids  the  vision  disappear  and  he 
returns  to  the  then  present,  the  year  1783.  £fdttttt  means  here,  of 
course,  only  the  vision. 

1.  164.    (SJeftdjt,  -vision. 

1.  166.  He  is  now  like  a  traveler  who  returns  from  foreign  lands  and 
recognizes  the  advantages  of  his  own  country. 

1.  173.  UCrlU'OrfjUCU,  broken  down.  The  mines  at  Ilmenau,  which 
had  been  closed  for  many  years,  were  opened  again  in  the  next  year,  but 
proved  eventually  unprofitable.  This  portion  of  Goethe's  prophecy  was 
therefore  not  actually  fulfilled. 

1.  179.    See  note  to  1.  123. 

56.    3ttet0mmg. 

The  poem  was  written  at  Dingelstedt  on  August  8,  1784.  Goethe 
was  then  on  his  way  to  the  Harz  mountains  and  Brunswick,  and  being 
detained  at  Dingelstedt  by  an  accident  to  the  carriage,  made  use  of  the 
enforced  leisure  to  write  the  poem.  (See  letter  to  Herder  of  August  8, 
1784.)  The  stanzas  were  originally  intended  to  be  the  introduction  to 
a  long  poem,  £)ie  ®ef)eimniffe,  which,  however,  remained  unfinished. 
The  3uetgnung  was  first  published  in  @d)riften,  1787,  as  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  works  of  Goethe;  in  the  edition  of  1806  it  was  taken  from 
this  place  and  printed  as  part  of  2)ie  ©eheimniffe;  in  1815  it  was,  how- 
ever, restored  to  its  position  as  introduction  to  the  collected  works,  where 
it  has  since  remained.  As  such  an  introduction  it  must  be  interpreted, 
the  poet's  own  conception  of  his  mission. 

The  words,  SSie  ber  -ftebel  ftet,  bacfyte  id)  an  ben  2lnfang  meine8  ®e= 
bid)t§.  5)ie  Sbce  baju  babe  id)  bier  im  £f)ate  gefunben,  which  occur  in 
Goethe's  letter  of  December  12,  1785,  written  to  Frau  von  Stein  from 
Jena,  are  generally  regarded  as  referring  to  ^lietgnung.  Accordingly 
the  final  impulse  from  which  the  poetic  image  arose,  was  given  by  the 


216  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  56, 57. 

sight  of  the  dissolving  mist  in  the  valley  of  the  Saale  near  Jena.  It  was 
not,  however,  the  first  time  that  such  a  scene  had  impressed  him.  He 
had  observed  the  mist  from  his  ©artenf)au§d)en  at  Weimar,  and  as  early 
as  1776  he  had  made  a  drawing  of  a  similar  scene  at  Ilmenau.  An- 
other illustration  of  the  manner  in  which  the  memory  of  some  natural 
scene  or  of  some  simple  occurrence  would  on  fitting  occasion  be  trans- 
muted by  Goethe  into  some  poetic  image.  (Blume.) 

1.  3-  (W3  meilter  ftiflett  £ittte,  the  scene  is  entirely  indeterminate, 
and  his  garden  did  not  lie  upon  a  real  hill,  but  without  too  much  vio- 
lence to  the  facts  we  may  imagine  Goethe  as  going  out  from  his  ©artett- 
JjailScfjen  at  the  outskirts  of  Weimar,  ascending  the  slight  elevation  in 
the  rear  of  it,  and  looking  across  the  fields  in  front  of  the  house  towards 
the  little  river  Ilm  (fflllft  ber  SBiejen,  1.  9). 

1.  13.  S3ltef3  =  SfobUdfe. 

1.  21.    U)r  refers  to  @omie. 

1.  23.    tattge  tttrfjt,  far  from. 

1.  38.  fcft  Itltb  fcfter.  Such  constructions  are  common  with  Goethe. 
§eft  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  the  positive,  but  both  words  are  meant  to 
be  comparatives,  with  the  same  sense  as  tmmcr  fefter. 

1.  58.  Cllrf),  you  men,  btt  of  the  next  line  applying  directly  to  the 
poet. 

1.  60.    JttHbcrU)iUcn,  childish  impulses. 

1.  61.    Ubermeufdj,  i.e.  so  much  superior  to  other  men. 

1.  70.    vJSfltltb,  here,  talent,  as  in  the  Biblical  parable. 

1.  97.  The  whole  stanza  expresses  in  various  ways  the  thought  that 
this  veil  of  poesy  can  transform  pain  and  sorrow  into  comfort  and  joy. 

1.  101.  228el)eit,  the  infinitive  of  irjehen,  "blow,"  used  as  a  noun: 
here  in  the  sense  of  storm,  commotion,  tumult. 

1.  105.  The  last  stanza  is  addressed  by  the  poet  to  his  friends,  in- 
viting them  to  join  with  him  in  times  both  of  joy  and  of  sorrow. 

1.  106.  fdjwer  itnb  ftfytoerer,  see  note  to  1.  38. 

57.  amgtum. 

First  appeared  in  S&itydm  2fteifter$  £ehrjahre,  1795;  taken  into 
SBerfe,  1815,  as  a  separate  poem. 

It  stands  at  the  beginning  of  the  third  book  of  SBilbetm  9Jfeifter. 


Sel.  57-59.]  NOTES.  217 

Herder's  copy  seems  to  date  from  1785  or  1786,  and  as  the  composition 
of  that  part  of  the  novel  belongs  to  1784,  the  poem  is  probably  to  be 
assigned  to  the  same  year,  although  it  may  be  somewhat  older.  In  it 
Mignon,  the  little  Italian  girl  who  had  been  stolen  by  a  band  of  rope- 
dancers,  and  whom  Wilhelm  had  rescued  and  adopted,  pours  forth  her 
longing  for  her  native  land,  and  in  the  varying  words  of  the  refrain  @C= 
ftebter,  Sefcfyiit^er,  SBater,  expresses  somewhat  of  the  different  emotions 
which  we  find  moving  her  in  the  course  of  the  novel. 

1.  5.  $eitttft  btt  e£  ftofyl,  probably  a  rhetorical  question,  meaning, 
surely  thou  knoTvest  it. 

1.  7.  ^)fltt£f  an  Italian  country  house  where  she  had  played  as  a 
child. 

1.  13.    S3er<J,  referring  to  the  journey  over  the  Alps. 

1.  ijR.  ($•£  ftiirjt,  i.e.  the  cliff  is  precipitous  and  the  stream  plunges 
over  it. 

58.  Siefelfce. 

History  of  publication  the  same  as  for  Sel.  57. 

It  stands  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  book  of  SBilfyelm  2ftetfter  and  has  no 
connection  with  the  narrative  preceding.  There  is  no  proof  of  an  origin 
before  1795,  but  it  may  be  conjecturally  assigned  to  a  much  earlier 
period,  the  year  1785. 

We  may  understand  that  Mignon  recited  the  lines  to  Wilhelm,  fear- 
ing that  in  his  heart  he  reproached  her  for  her  refusal  to  explain  the 
secret  of  her  past  life,  and  that  she  kept  silence  because  a  vow  made  to 
the  Virgin  Mary  sealed  her  lips.  All  human  beings,  as  well  as  every- 
thing in  nature,  are  free  to  reveal  their  secrets,  but  her  vow  keeps  her 
silent. 

59.  $iefette. 

History  of  publication  the  same  as  for  Sel.  57. 

This  poem  may  also  be  assigned  conjecturally  to  the  year  1785,  but 
with  more  evidence  than  in  the  case  of  Sel.  58.  On  June  20,  1785, 
Goethe  wrote  to  Frau  von  Stein :  £>ierbei  cm  Stebcfjen  Don  3Rignon. 
.  .  .  (Sin  £ieb,  ba§  HUH  aud)  metn  tft.  It  is  believed  that  he  meant  this 
poem.  His  letter  of  June  27  to  her  ends  with  the  words:  9W),  ft)er  bte 
@el)njud)t  fennt !  The  song  stands  at  the  end  of  the  eleventh  chapter 


218  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  59,60. 


of  the  fourth  book  of  SBUfjetm  9ftetfter8  Eefyrjaljre  and  is  preceded  by 
the  words:  (gr  berfiel  in  eine  trcinmenbe  ©eljnfudjt,  unb  twe  etn= 
ftimmenb  ntit  feinen  (Smpfinbungen  tear  ba§  £ieb,  ba§  eben  in  biefer 
@tnnbe  2fttgnon  unb  ber  §arfner  alS  ein  unregetmaftigeS  S)uett  ntit 
bem  herjUcftften  $u§brnrfe  fangen. 

60,  $em  5lrfermatttt. 

First  appeared  in  ©djriften,  1789;  taken  with  changes  into  SSerfe, 
1815,  as  explained  below. 

The  lines  belong  at  the  latest  to  1785,  and  were  probably  written  in 
imitation  of  a  Greek  epigram  translated  into  German  by  Herder  with 
the  title,  3)a8  ©rab  beg  £anbmann§  (Duntzer).  The  edition  of  1815 
introduced  into  the  collected  works  the  new  subdivision,  ^nttfer  $01*111 
jtdj  Itahernb,  in  which  this  poem  in  its  present  form  was  given  a  place. 

It  is  one  of  those  poems  of  Goethe  which  show  the  marks  of  Greek 
or  Latin  influence.  The  traces  of  classic  influence  go  back  to  the  first 
days  of  his  literary  activity.  His  liking  for  the  ancients  finds  expression 
early.  His  admiration  for  Homer,  for  example,  is  set  forth  at  length  in 
SBertber.  In  all  this  Goethe  was  the  child  of  his  times,  a  participant 
in  a  general  European  movement.  (See  notes  to  Sel.  14  and  22.) 
With  his  intellectual  growth,  with  the  throwing  off  of  the  literary  law- 
lessness of  his  early  period,  with  the  keener  enjoyment  of  perfection  of 
form,  there  came  increased  appreciation  of  the  classic  spirit.  It  was 
natural  that  such  appreciation  should  affect  both  content  and  form  of 
his  poems. 

This  movement  of  Goethe  towards  the  antique  received  vigorous  im- 
pulse early  in  the  eighties  and  culminated  in  the  days  of  his  Italian 
journey  and  in  the  period  immediately  after  his  return  to  Weimar.  It 
is  more  evident  in  other  fields  of  his  literary  activity  than  in  his  poems, 
though  visible  enough  there.  It  was  probably  the  inevitable  mode  of 
development  conditioned  by  Goethe's  intellectual  constitution,  but  in 
its  extreme  phase  it  was  a  positive  injury  to  his  effectiveness  as  a  modern 
poet.  To  most  readers  ,  however  cultured  and  sympathetic,  the  poems 
which  show  strongest  this  classic  influence  in  content  and  form  are 
among  the  least  profitable  and  enjoyable.  The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek. 
Goethe  was,  after  all,  intensely  modern,  and  to  say  nothing  of  the 


Sel.  60-62.]  NOTES.  219 

content,  he  never  learned  to  use  antique  forms  in  German  verse  with  the 
naturalness  and  effectiveness  which  characterize  his  better  poems  in 
modern  form. 


61.  $erfrfjtebene  Gcmjjftttbttttgett  ait  cittern 

First  appeared  in  Schiller's  2ftufenalmcmad)  oilf  ba§  3al)r  1796  ; 
taken  into  Sfteue  @d)riftett,  1800. 

This  poem  consists  of  four  songs  from  the  first  act  of  3Me  iingfeidjett 
§cm§genoffen,  etn  ©ingfoiet,  which  was  begun  in  1785  and  not  finally 
laid  aside  until  several  years  later,  although  it  remained  a  fragment. 
®ie  Itngleidjett  3pau§genof[eu  was  not  published  in  Goethe's  lifetime. 
The  date  of  the  poem  can  not  be  positively  determined. 

In  the  operetta  the  four  songs  are  separated  by  prose  portions.  The 
scene  is  the  park.  Rosette  (bd§  Sftdbcfyen)  appears,  sings  the  first 
stanza,  and  after  a  brief  monologue  steps  for  a  moment  behind  a  clump 
of  bushes  to  regain  self-control  before  her  sweetheart  appears.  There- 
upon her  lover  Flavio  (ber  3>iingUttg)  comes,  sings  the  second  stanza,  and 
finds  Rosette.  The  two  converse  for  a  moment  but  hide  at  different 
sides  of  the  scene  as  they  see  the  poet  (ber  @d)mad)tenbe)  approaching. 
He  comes  up,  sings  the  third  stanza,  speaks  a  few  words,  and  presum- 
ably withdraws  for  a  moment.  After  a  while  Pumper  (ber  3>(iger) 
makes  his  entrance  and  sings  the  fourth  stanza. 

1.  25.    ($ttgCf  he  means  a  secluded  spot. 

1.  34.  The  servant  was  bringing  home  the  game  which  the  3ciger 
had  already  killed. 

1.  38.  SJiigcI,  referring  to  the  birds  caught  in  his  snares  in  the  park, 
but  perhaps  he  sees  the  other  persons  in  hiding  and  alludes  to  them 
also. 

62.  (grfter  Serfaft. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

These  lines  were  intended  to  form  the  beginning  of  the  second  act  of 
£)ie  Wtgtetcfjen  §au§genoffen.  As  in  the  case  of  the  preceding  Selec- 
tion, it  is  therefore  impossible  to  determine  their  date  with  certainty. 
2)ie  lingleidjen  §cm§gettoffen  is  so  fragmentary  that  its  plan  is  not  very 
evident,  but  it  may  be  supposed  that  matters  were  more  or  less  out  of 
joint  in  the  domestic  life  of  the  baron  and  his  wife,  two  personages  of 


220  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  62-65. 

the  operetta,  and  that  the  baroness,  to  whom  these  lines  are  assigned, 
is  grieving  over  the  happiness  of  former  days. 

63.  Qknialtfdj  Sreibett. 

First  appeared  in  ©cfdnge  ber  £iebertdfel,  1811;  taken  into  SBerfe, 
1815. 

In  existence  before  the  Italian  journey.  It  is  a  humorous  treatment 
of  the  round  of  occupations  of  the  poet,  with  allusion  to  Diogenes 
(whom  he  here,  as  it  were,  makes  his  patron  saint)  and  his  tub.  The 
comparison  of  himself  to  this  worthy  seems  to  have  been  common  with 
Goethe  (Riemer,  aJttttbetlungen  uber  ®oetbe,  II,  543).  In  the  title, 
means,  doings  or  carrying  on,  and  (JCmalifcf),  as  befits  a  genius. 


64.  3tn  ben 

First  appeared  in  $rteg,  SHteratur  unb  Sweater,  SftittbeUungen  toon 
3)ororo.    Setyjtg,  1845. 


65.  5(mor  al$  fianbfd)aft3ma!er. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1  789. 

It  was  probably  written  in  the  latter  months  of  1787  or  early  in  1788. 
The  poem  is  mentioned  by  name,  under  date  of  February  22,  1788,  in 
3roetter  Stufentfyalt  in  Sftom.  In  October,  1787,  Goethe  spent  about 
three  weeks  in  Castel-Gondolfo,  a  village  about  14  miles  distant  from 
Rome,  as  the  guest  of  a  wealthy  English  art-dealer  named  Jenkins.  He 
was  delighted  with  the  beauty  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  busied 
himself  with  outdoor  sketching.  As  described  in  ^roeiter  $ufentf)att 
in  SRom,  it  was  here  that  he  met  a  beautiful  Milanese  girl  and  began  to 
feel  for  her  a  lively  affection,  when  to  his  consternation  he  learned  that 
she  was  already  betrothed.  He  sought  consolation  and  in  his  own 
words  :  3d)  roenbete  mid)  abermats  rafcf)  gu  ber  injltnfdjen  t)ernad)ttif= 
ftgten  tanbfdjaftttcfyen  9?atitr,  nnb  fud)te  fie  fo  treit  al§  mogftdj  nad)3U= 
bitben;  mebr  aber  gelang  mir,  fte  beffer  ju  feljen.  .  .  .  unb  id)  fonnte 
bem  @d)inerj  nicfyt  fetnb  tuerben,  ber  mir  ben  innern  unb  anfcern  @inn 
in  bem  ©rabe  511  fdjcirfen  geeignet  roar.  This  episode  apparently 
called  forth  the  poem. 


Sel.  65-68.]  NOTES.  221 

1.  3.    gr<W  grwtbiert,  -with  a  gray  ground. 

1.  ii.  mad) en,  play. 

1.  18.    Xe^pttfj,  referring  to  the  mist. 

1-  35-  Iftftereit,  glaze  (put  a  semi-transparent  color  over  another  to 
modify  the  effect). 

1.  61,  ©d)t  511  fommett,  beginnt  ©djritte  511  madjen,  urn  tjeran^u* 
fonunen,  obcr  :  unb  fommt  heron,  tt)a§  in  ber  £hat  mit  gemeint  fdjeint. 
(Grimm's  2B6rterbltd).)  Say,  starts. 

66.  293e(f)fettieb  pm  Sat^e. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

The  time  of  its  composition  and  the  occasion  which  called  it  forth 
are  both  unknown. 

67,  Slit  bic  ©utfernte. 

First  appeared  in  @d)riften,  1789. 

The  time  and  occasion  of  its  origin  are  unknown.  Many  conjectures 
have  been  made,  assigning  it  to  various  periods  from  the  early  days  at 
Frankfort  to  1788,  in  October  of  which  year  the  volume  containing  the 
poem  was  in  the  hands  of  the  printer.  Von  Loeper  has  made  the 
most  attractive  guess  in  bringing  it  into  connection  with  a  passage  in 
Goethe's  letter  of  Sept.  24,  1778,  to  Frau  von  Stein,  who  was  then  away 
from  Weimar :  liberal!  fitd)'  id)  @ie,  bei  §of,  in  3hrem  §au3  unb  mt* 
ter  ben  33aumen,  and)  ohne  eg  $u  nnffen,  gel)'  id)  Ijeritm  unb  fndje  ftm8, 
nub  enblid)  fommt'8  berau§,  baft  @ie  mir  feblen. 

68.  SBetjerjigung. 

First  appeared  in  ©C^rtften,  1789. 

It  is  presumably  of  much  earlier  origin  than  is  indicated  by  the  date 
of  publication,  but  no  evidence  as  yet  produced  gives  the  slightest 
ground  for  fixing  a  date.  The  theme  is  the  old  question  whether  con- 
servatism or  radicalism  is  the  better,  and  the  conclusion  the  old  one 
that  men  are  not  alike. 

I.  4.    firfj  JU  trctben,  to  let  himself  drift. 

II.  5-6.    I.e.  shall   he  take  up  a  fixed  abode  or  lead  a  wandering 
life  ? 


222  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  69-71. 


69*  Qmmtenutg. 

First  published  in  @d)riftett,  1789. 

Like  the  preceding  Selection,  presumably  of  much  earlier  origin,  al- 
though no  fact  is  known  which  justifies  giving  a  date  to  it.  It  is  one  of 
the  best  known  of  all  Goethe's  proverbial  sayings. 

70.   $oMtifd)e3  Sieb. 


First  appeared  in  Schiller's  2ftufenatmanad)  fiir  ba8  3abr  1796; 
taken  into  9?eite  @d}rifteit,  1800. 

Goethe's  interest  in  the  affair  of  the  diamond  necklace  which  had  so 
much  to  do  with  the  fate  of  the  unhappy  queen  Marie  Antoinette,  and 
in  the  fortunes  of  the  arch-swindler  Cagliostro,  led  him  to  begin  an 
opera,  entitled  £>ie  SfttyftiftCterten  and  dealing  with  the  episode  of  the 
diamond  necklace.  We  find  it  first  mentioned  in  the  letter  to  Kayser, 
written  from  Rome  on  August  14,  1787.  Fragments  of  this  opera,  of 
which  this  poem  was  a  part,  have  been  preserved.  Later  he  gave  up 
the  opera  and  wrote  in  its  stead  a  play,  3)er  ©rof^Ojjbta,  which  was 
completed  in  the  autumn  of  1791.  The  new  title  was  due  to  the  cir- 
cumstance that  Cagliostro  had  pretended  to  revive  an  ancient  Egyptian 
system  of  freemasonry,  and  had  called  himself,  as  head  of  it,  Grand 
Cophta.  The  poem  was  not  included  in  the  play,  and  the  exact  time  of 
its  origin  cannot  now  be  determined.  From  Goethe's  3(nnaten  we 
know  that  it  was  set  to  music  in  1789.  The  sentiments  uttered  in  the 
lines  are  intended  to  harmonize  with  the  tone  of  the  opera,  rather  than 
to  express  Goethe's  personal  convictions. 

1.5.  ^UttflC,  tne  pointer  of  scales  of  the  type  used  by  apothecaries 
must  be  thought  of  here.  Unless  the  weights  in  the  pans  are  equal,  the 
pointer  will,  of  course,  move. 

71.  (Styigramme.    SBettebifl,  1790. 

First  appeared  as  a  whole  in  Schiller's  2ftufenatmanacf)  fiir  bag  3a^r 
1796;  taken  into  9?eue  @d)riften,  1800,  with  the  addition  of  one  epi- 
gram, No.  5  of  this  collection. 

In  the  spring  of  1790  Goethe  tarried  from  March  31   to  the  latter 


Sel.  71.]  NOTES.  223 

part  of  May  in  Venice,  whither  he  had  gone  to  meet  the  dowager  duch- 
ess Amalia,  then  traveling  in  Italy,  and  to  escort  her  back  to  Weimar. 
She  did  not  arrive  in  Venice  until  May,  and  to  pass  the  time  of  waiting, 
among  other  occupations,  he  composed  a  number  of  epigrams.  He 
mentions  100  on  May  4,  in  a  letter  to  Herder's  wife.  The  word  55ene^ 
big  in  the  title  is  therefore  justified,  as  the  epigrams  were  mostly  written 
at  Venice,  although  a  few  were  of  earlier  and  a  few  others  of  later 
date. 

This  is  the  first  of  the  collections  of  proverbs,  epigrams,  etc., 
which  appear  in  Goethe's  works.  It  is  true  that  some  poems  of  this 
character  may  be  found  even  at  an  early  date  in  his  career,  but  never- 
theless his  fondness  for  this  literary  type  increased  with  his  years  and 
with  the  waning  of  his  creative  poetical  power.  The  sayings  are  often 
freighted  with  the  rich  experience  and  observations  of  his  long  life, 
but  the  lover  of  Goethe's  poetry  may  be  pardoned,  in  view  of  their 
number  and  not  infrequent  dryness  in  later  years,  for  preferring  his 
achievements  in^  other  fields  to  them. 

In  the  so-called  Sftbmtfdje  (Slegien,  which,  however,  originated  after 
his  return  from  Italy,  and  in  these  Venetian  epigrams,  we  see  the  influ- 
ence of  Greek  and  Latin  literature  upon  the  form  and  content  of 
Goethe's  work  perhaps  at  its  hight.  His  obligation  in  the  case  of 
these  two  collections  is  not  merely  the  general  one  that  he  was  permeated 
with  the  spirit  of  classical  literature,  but  the  direct  influence  of  two 
Latin  writers  is  beyond  question  and  has  to  be  reckoned  with  in  at- 
tempting to  come  to  any  proper  understanding  of  this  phase  of  Goethe's 
work.  In  the  Roman  elegies,  from  which  no  selection  is  given  here,  he 
was  most  directly  under  obligations  to  Propertius,  while  the  Venetian 
epigrams  reflect  not  less  clearly  his  interest  in  Martial. 

The  tone  of  the  Venetian  epigrams  is,  on  the  whole,  sharp  and  often 
polemic.  Some  of  the  reasons  for  this  are  obvious.  Goethe  saw  Italy 
with  far  different  eyes  in  1790  than  in  1786.  He  was  now  more  dis- 
posed to  censure  than  to  praise,  as  his  letters  from  Venice  show.  It  be- 
came evident  to  him  that  he  could  not  live  away  from  his  native  land. 
Much  of  this  aversion  to  Italy  and  affection  for  Germany  arose  from  the 
circumstances  of  his  domestic  life.  He  had  entered  into  his  relations 
with  Christiane  Vulpius,  for  whom  he  had  a  sincere  affection,  and  their 
first  child,  the  only  one  to  survive  the  period  of  infancy,  had  been  born. 


224  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  71. 

He  yearned  for  the  home  circle.  And  in  addition  to  these  reasons,  the 
epigrams  deal  with  the  topics  of  the  day  in  Italy,  Germany,  and  else- 
where, and  he  was  far  from  being  in  sympathy  with  many  of  the  ten- 
dencies of  the  times. 

The  motto  was  first  inserted  in  the  edition  of  1815. 

1.  i.  This  epigram  seems  to  have  been  called  forth  by  the  general 
misgovernment  of  the  Italian  states.  See  Sel.  70,  1.  10. 

1.  7.    Evidently  meaning  Christiane. 

1.  ii.  $iele3  tya&r  id)  tJCrfudjt,  the  truth  of  this  is  abundantly 
proved  by  the  testimony  of  Goethe  as  well  as  of  others. 

1.  16.  fd)led)teftCtt  @toff.  What  Goethe  meant  by  ©toff  has  oc- 
casioned considerable  controversy.  Two  of  the  conjectures  are  worthy 
of  note :  the  first  understanding  in  ©toff  the  themes  of  the  Venetian 
epigrams,  the  other  the  German  language.  The  latter  seems  much  the 
more  reasonable.  It  is  no  new  thing  for  a  poet  to  complain  of  the  dif- 
ficulties caused  him  by  his  native  language.  Goethe  was  probably 
thinking  of  the  musical  flow  of  Italian  when  he  wrote  the  lines.  See 
also  1.  66. 

1.  17.  This  hearty  tribute  to  Karl  August  first  appeared  in  sJJeitC 
@d)riften,  1800.  In  1789  Goethe  apparently  prepared  a  poem  in 
praise  of  Karl  August,  which  he  intended  to  place  among  his  Roman 
elegies.  (See  his  letters  to  the  duke  in  May,  1789.)  It  has  been  gen- 
erally supposed  that  this  poem  was  the  one  to  which  he  referred.  It 
may  be,  but  the  passage  in  his  letter  of  April  15,  1790  to  Herder,  2)em 
£erjog  hab'  id)  ein§  bejonberS  gefdjicft ;  ba8  fafct  cud)  jeigen,  seems  to 
confirm  the  opinion  already  advanced  by  Viehoff ,  that  this  poem  really 
originated  in  Venice  and  belongs  consequently  among  these  Venetian 
epigrams. 

1.  24.  Karl  August  gave  Goethe  the  ©arteitf)du8d)ett  and  later  also 
the  house  in  Weimar  where  he  lived  so  many  years. 

1.  28.  fcejafylt,  possibly  referring  to  the  fact  that  ®ofc  t>on  33erti* 
djingen  was  printed  at  his  expense.  At  this  time  Goethe's  works,  owing 
to  defective  copyright  laws,  had  not  brought  him  much  money. 

1.  30.  ^crriittetctt  ®aft,  meaning  SBertljer. 

1.  32.  It  is  stated  as  a  fact  that  a  ship  had  landed  in  Holstein  in 
1779  in  the  cabin  of  which  were  several  Chinese  pictures  on  glass  de- 
picting scenes  from 


Sel.  71-73.]  NOTES.  225 

1.  34.  5Ittgilft  ttttb  SJtttCCtt,  Augustus  and  Maecenas,  as  patrons  of 
literature. 

1-  39-  ^reilJeit^apoftef,  ^e  was  thinking  of  the  leaders  in  the  early 
years  of  the  French  Revolution.  The  two  epigrams  following  were  also 
called  forth  by  thoughts  of  the  Revolution. 

1.  51.  Goethe  had  also  passed  through  his  time  of  advocacy  of  law- 
less freedom,  as  witnessed  by  his  ©b't^. 

1.  53.    French  had  long  been  the  language  in  German  court  circles. 

1-  55-  <5tyrflrf)e  ber  $raitfe«,  i.e.  the  ideas  spread  through  all  Europe 
by  the  advocates  of  the  French  Revolution. 

1.  61.  That  Goethe  was  not  fond  of  dogs  is  shown  elsewhere  in  his 
writings,  as  for  example  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  Roman 
elegy : 

5Kanrf>e  S5ne  finb  mtr  SSerbrufj,  bocf)  bfetbt  am  metften 
,£unbeQebelI  mtr  berfjafjt ;  f  laffenb  jerretfct  e§  mein  Dt}r. 

1.  66.    See  note  to  ©toff,  1.  16. 

72.  ftertt  toon  gebUbetett  9Kettf<$ett. 

First  appeared  in  SchummePs  $eife  blirrf)  @d)teften  im  3uttu8  linb 
Sluguft  1791  ;  taken  into  Berfe,  1840. 

A  product  of  the  trip  to  Silesia  in  the  summer  of  1790.  While  visit- 
ing a  mine  near  Tarnowitz  Goethe  wrote  these  lines  in  the  Visitor's 
Book  on  September  4. 

1.  i.    font,  because  Silesia  lies  on  the  outskirts  of  Germany. 

73.  $>ie  Strobe. 

First  appeared  in  Schmieder's  3»ournol  fiir  Sweater  unb  anberc  fcfyone 
$iinfte,  1797;  taken  into  9?eue  ©cfjriften,  1800. 

Vulpius,  the  brother  of  Christiane,  translated  one  of  Cimarosa's  operas 
into  German,  and  it  was  given  at  the  Weimar  theater  in  1791  and  again 
in  1797.  On  one  or  the  other  of  these  occasions  Goethe  wrote  the  two 
songs,  £>ie  ©probe  and  ©tc  53efebrte  (Sel.  74),  for  insertion  in  the 
opera.  Gifyronotogte  assigns  them  to  the  year  1791,  which  arrangement 
is  followed  here,  although  the  evidence  for  either  date  is  not  conclusive. 
Both  songs  pertain  to  the  same  shepherdess,  constrasting  her  coquetry 


226  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  73-76. 

of  the  morning  with  her  lovelornness  of  the  evening  (probably,  how- 
ever, the  evening  of  some  later  day),  although  the  one  song  is  now  in 
the  third  person  and  the  other  in  the  first. 

74.  $>ie  S3e!etjrte. 

See  notes  to  Sel.  73. 

75.  5(tt  btc  <$rttml)lte. 

First  appeared  in  9ieiie  ©djriften,  1800. 

The  statement  of  the  Weimar  edition  that  a  note  book  belonging  to 
about  the  middle  of  the  nineties  contains  a  draft  of  the  second  and  third 
stanzas  of  this  poem,  is  the  reason  for  putting  it  here.  No  fact  of 
Goethe's  life  about  the  year  1  795  is  now  known  which  would  stand  in 
any  connection  with  the  poem.  In  tone  and  content  it  seems  rather  to 
belong  to  a  much  earlier  period. 

1.  4.    fflljtt,  present  for  the  future. 

1.  10.  tyattl  .  .  .  l)0llbrarf)t,  because  he  has  already  begun  it.  This 
and  the  preceding  line  are  a  free  treatment  of  the  proverb,  ^rifd)  ge* 
ttmgt  tft  halb  gettonnen.  But  must  we  think  of  the  lover  as  absent 
from  his  maiden  now,  or  is  he  merely  vividly  imagining  all  that  is  given 
in  the  second  and  third  stanzas? 

76.  mfy  beg  ®elie&ten. 


First  appeared  in  Schiller's  2JhijenaImcmacf)  fitr  ba§  3abr  1796  ; 
taken  into  9teuc  @d)riftett,  1800. 

This  song  was  called  forth  in  April,  1795,  by  a  poem  of  Friederike 
Brun  and  especially  by  the  music  to  which  it  had  been  set  by  Zelter. 
The  first  stanza  of  Friederike  Brun's  poem  runs  : 

3cf)  benfe  betn,  toenn  fid)  tm  Stiitenregcn 

S)er  f^rufyltng  matt, 
Unb  toenn  be§  Sommer§  mtlbgereifter  <Segen 

3n  &I)ren  fhafylt. 

Zelter's  melody,  in  particular,  so  delighted  Goethe  that  he  desired  to 
fit  to  it  words  of  his  own,  and  so  wrote  this  poem. 


Sel.  77-79.]  NOTES.  227 


77.  mtevtS  Stifle. 

This  poem  and  ®Ui(fHrf)e  ftafart  (Sel.  78)  both  appeared  first  in 
Schiller's  2ftujenalmanadj  fitr  bag  3obr  1796,  and  were  taken  into  ^Reuc 
©djriften,  1800. 

Nothing  more  is  known  concerning  the  origin  or  occasion  of  either  of 
these  poems,  but  they  may  have  been  called  forth  by  some  occurrences 
of  his  Italian  journey. 

1.  5.  Ictne  .  .  .  feiner,  these  two  negatives  have  merely  the  force  of 
one,  no  wind  from  any  quarter. 

78.  <SHurf«rf)e  $al)rt. 

See  notes  to  Sel.  77. 

I.  4.    Goethe  seems  to  have  in  mind  here  the  bag  of  the  winds  given 
to  Odysseus  by  ^Eolus,  the  god  of  the  winds,  which  was  later  opened 
by  his  companions  with  disastrous  results.     Hence  the  use  of  cingftUd). 

79.  SHegiS  wnb  $>ora. 

First  appeared  in  Schiller's  2JJiifenalmanad)  fitr  ba§  3abr  1797  ; 
taken  into  JKeiie  @d)riften,  1800. 

This  elegy  was  written  in  May,  1796,  at  Jena  at  the  time  of  a  visit  of 
Korner  and  his  family  to  Schiller.  The  name  Dora  is  a  reminiscence  of 
Dora  Stock,  Korner's  sister-in-law,  whom  Goethe  knew  in  his  Leipzig 
days.  The  occasion  of  the  poem  is  unknown.  It  was  not  called  forth  by 
any  of  Goethe's  known  personal  experiences,  but  it  may  contain  reminis- 
cences of  past  days  (von  Loeper).  His  longing  for  Italy  seems  to  have 
revived  again  at  this  time.  For  example,  he  wrote  to  Korner  on  Sep- 
tember 22, 1796:  SBemt  @tc  bte  Sbtjfle  (meaning  5Uc£t§  unb  2>ora)  jit 
21nfcmg  be§  2Jhifenalmana(f)3  fefien,  jo  gebenfen  @ic  jcner  gittett  Sage, 
in  benen  fte  entftanb.  $[&nftcf)e  5(rbeiten  btefer  5lrt  mad)en  mid)  bier  im 
@aalgrunbe  Dergeffen,  ba§  ic^  jefet  eigenttidj  am  Hrno  tuanbeln  fottte. 
The  poem  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  Goethe's  best  achievements; 
certainly  it  is  the  crown  of  all  produced  under  the  influence  of  strong 
classic  inspiration. 

II.  i-io  are  the  poet's  description,  beginning  with  the  ship  already 


228  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  79. 

at  sea  and  almost  out  of  sight  of  land,  although  it  is  possible  to  conceive 
that  even  these  lines  are  spoken  by  Alexis.  Then  follows  in  11.  11-154 
the  monologue  of  the  young  lover,  while  the  last  four  lines  of  the  poem 
are  again  the  poet's  own. 

1.  3-    ($eleife,  the  word  is  usually  neuter. 

1.  9.  bie  Serge  .  .  .  bie  frfjeibeubeu  =  Me  fdjeibenben  33erge. 

1.  19.    btt,  referring  to  Phoebus  as  sun-god. 

1.  21.  He  means  that  he  will  look  within,  into  his  own  heart,  and 
think  over  the  past  in  its  relations  to  Dora. 

1.  24.    bettt,  meaning  himself. 

1.  25.  "Jiidjter,  as  Duntzer  suggests,  probably  an  improvisatore,  such 
as  Goethe  mentions  in  1.  59  of  his  first  (Spiftel,  reciting  to  a  crowd 
assembled  about  him  a  poetical  riddle.  They  can  enjoy  the  skillful 
construction  of  the  riddle,  but  must  wait  to  hear  the  word  uttered  which 
is  the  key  to  all,  before  they  can  really  perceive  its  meaning.  So  he 
had  daily  witnessed  Dora's  beauty,  but  it  could  not  really  move  him, 
until  Amor  made  him  see. 

1.  27.  bie  .  .  .  25erfnityfung  =  bic  fettne  SBertniipfung  ber  giertidjen 
SBilber.  Notice  also  the  bold  word-order  in  1.  142. 

1.  42.    tttegte,  balanced  and  carried. 

1.  44.    sJDiaf»,  the  just  proportion,  say,  grace. 

1.  46.  geriltgelted  Turf),  pad  placed  upon  the  head  to  support  the 
water  jar. 

1.  53-    litgft,  He,  in  pretending  to  look  like  the  sky. 

1.  61.  Itarfjberdtet.  His  possessions  were  already  on  board,  and  the 
bundle  was  an  afterthought  of  his  mother. 

1.  62.  rctd).  Alexis  was  evidently  a  young  merchant  setting  out  on  a 
trading  voyage. 

1.  77.  btC  tuetjjen  JyctflClt.  Goethe  mentions  white  figs  as  a  common 
fruit  in  his  3taUenifd)e  SRetfe  under  date  of  September  12,  1786. 

1.  96.    bOttlterte,  as  a  sign  of  Heaven's  approval. 

1.  135.  Here  begins  the  transition  in  his  thoughts  which  leads  to  his 
wild  outbreak  of  jealousy.  Schiller  objected  to  this  tempestuous  close, 
and  Goethe  defended  it  in  his  letter  of  June  22,  1796:  $iir  Me  (£ifer= 
fud)t  am  (Snbe  habexid)  jtoei  ©riinbe.  (Sinen  au§  ber  -iftatur:  wetl 
hrirfltcf)  jebeg  unerttartete  itnb  intDerbtente  £iebe§glitcf  Me  §u^t  &e8 
SSertufteg  unmittelbar  auf  ber  gerfe  nad)  ftcf)  fiibrt,  itnb  einen  a«3  ber 


Sel.  79,80.]  NOTES.  229 


$unft  :  ttjctt  bic  Sbtyfle  burd)au§  eincn  patfietifcfien  @ang  fiat  itnb  alfo 
bag  Seibenfdjaftlidje  bi§  gegen  ba§  (Snbe  gefteigert  roerben  muftte,  ba  fie 
benn  burrf)  bte  3tbfcf)teb§DerBeugung  be§  2)td)ter§  ttneber  in§  Mbtidje 
Itnb  §eiterc  Jltriicfgefufyrt  ttitrb.  His  first  reason  means  that  calm  con- 
fidence would  hardly  be  in  place  in  Alexis.  Dora's  love  has  been  re- 
vealed to  him  so  unexpectedly  and  suddenly  that  away  from  her  he 
naturally  has  moments  of  doubt  and  jealousy. 

80.  Eeniett. 

Irritated  by  the  ill-success  of  Schiller's  periodical  3)ic  £>orert,  for 
which  Goethe  also  wrote,  and  vexed  by  all  sorts  of  petty  and  malicious 
attacks  upon  the  periodical  and  upon  themselves  personally,  Goethe 
and  Schiller  began  in  the  last  days  of  1  795  the  preparation  of  a  collec- 
tion of  epigrams  directed  against  their  enemies.  The  number  grew 
rapidly,  amounting  eventually  to  almost  a  thousand,  among  which  were, 
however,  many  of  peaceful  tenor.  After  several  changes  of  plan,  a  se- 
lection of  these  epigrams  was  published  in  Schiller's  2JhlfenaImanarf)  fur 
ba§  3abr  1797,  the  invectives  appearing  under  the  title  BEeitten,  and 
the  mild  distichs  as  Tabulae  Votivae.  The  first  title  was  suggested 
by  Goethe.  He  borrowed  it  from  Martial,  one  book  of  whose  collected 
epigrams  is  called  Xenia  (a  word  borrowed  from  the  Greek  and  mean- 
ing a  present  to  a  guest). 

On  their  appearance  these  epigrams  caused  a  great  sensation  in  Ger- 
many and  provoked  many  replies  and  bitter  controversies.  Like  all 
literary  feuds  they  are  not  very  interesting  to  posterity.  Without  the 
aid  of  copious  notes  the  point  of  most  of  them  is  lost  for  the  reader  of 
to-day,  and  it  is  hard  to  understand  how  they  could  have  ever  seemed 
very  dreadful.  They  are  chiefly  significant  to  us  as  one  of  the  many 
evidences  of  the  great  stimulus  which  both  Goethe  and  Schiller  received 
from  their  tardy  but  warm  friendship. 

It  was  the  intention  of  both  poets  that  the  authorship  of  the  individ- 
ual epigrams  should  remain  unknown.  In  the  case  of  many  their  col- 
laboration was  such  that  neither  could  say  certainly  what  part  was  his. 
The  question  of  the  authorship  of  many  of  the  epigrams  can  therefore 
never  be  settled  positively  ;  others  can  be  assigned  without  much  doubt 
to  one  or  other  of  the  poets.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  most  of 


230  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  80,  81. 

the  sting  of  the  epigrams  was  due  to  Schiller.  Although  Goethe  orig- 
inated the  idea  and  was  more  willing  than  Schiller  to  make  a  second 
attack,  his  Jetuen  are  generally  milder  and  less  pointed.  A  few  of  the 
epigrams  which  may  be  assigned  to  Goethe  with  considerable  certainty 
are  given  here  as  representative  of  his  share  in  the  joint  work. 

1.  i.  Directed  against  Lavater  for  whom  Goethe  had  earlier  felt  a 
warm  friendship  for  several  years  and  who  never  deserved  the  reproof 
of  this  epigram. 

1.  3.  Directed  against  Joachim  Heinrich  Carnpe,  who  did  much  to 
lessen  the  overabundant  use  of  foreign  words  in  German,  although  his 
zeal  led  him  too  far  at  times. 

1.  5.  Goethe's  opposition  to  Newton's  theory  of  colors  finds  expression 
here.  Goethe  was  always  extremely  sensitive  that  his  own  theory  met 
with  so  little  recognition,  and  bitter  in  his  comments. 

1.  6.    QCbntrft,    i.e.  in  Goethe's  SBeitttige  jilt  Optif,   published   in 

1791. 

1.  g.  This  and  the  following  epigram  did  not  appear  in  Schiller's 
2D7ujenalmanad),  but  belonged  to  the  mass  of  unpublished  materials 
which  has  now  been  made  known  in  @d)riften  ber  ©oetbe»®efettfd)aft, 
Vol.  8.  The  first  of  the  two  expresses  clearly  a  fundamental  principle 
of  Goethe's  art.  His  ability  to  see  things  as  they  are  justifies  calling 
him  the  great  realist,  although  he  was  far  from  belonging  to  what  is 
called  the  realistic  school. 

1.  n.  Directed  against  Nicolai,  who  had  been  the  friend  of  Lessing 
and  had  done  some  good  service  for  German  literature  in  his  younger 
years,  but  had  incurred  in  his  old  age  the  dislike  of  Goethe  and  others  ; 
bent  (Sbefn  is  Lessing. 

81.  $er  Gljittefe  in  9fom. 

First  appeared  in  Schiller's  Sftufenatmcmad)  filr  ba8  3afyr  1797; 
taken  into  28erfe,  1806. 

Goethe  inclosed  the  poem  in  his  letter  of  August  10,  1796,  to  Schiller, 
stating  that  it  was  called  forth  by  some  "  arrogant  utterance  "  which 
Jean  Paul  Richter  had  made  in  a  letter  to  Knebel,  and  that  he  was  wil- 
ling to  have  it  printed  in  the  SUmcinad)  over  his  name.  It  may  be  said 
in  passing  that  many  of  Goethe's  contributions  to  the  ^Hmanacf)  ap- 


Sel.  81-83.]  NOTES.  231 

peared  over  a  pseudonym.  What  Jean  Paul  said  to  call  forth  Goethe's 
ire  is  unknown.  The  characteristics  of  the  two  men,  as  well  as  their 
theories  and  practice  in  literary  matters,  were  radically  different.  The 
mental  attitude  of  the  Chinaman  of  the  poem  applies  not  inaptly  to 
Jean  Paul. 

I.  2.    (iifttQ,  probably  weighty  here,  about  synonomous  with  jd)VDer. 
The  buildings  at  Rome  seemed  to  the  Chinaman  very  different  from  the 
light,  airy  structures  of  his  own  country. 

82.  $>er  @rf)a<?gra&er. 

First  appeared  in  Schiller's  Sftufenalmcmad:)  fiir  ba§  3dfyr  1798; 
taken  into  9?eue  @d)riften,  1800. 

It  was  apparently  written  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  1 797.  On  May 
21  occurs  the  entry  in  Goethe's. diary :  $rtige  3bce,  bdfc  cm  $inb  einem 
@d)a£grtiber  eine  teud)tenbe  @d)ale  bringt.  A  picture  in  a  German 
translation  of  Petrarch  may  have  given  him  the  idea  (Diintzer.)  His 
diary  mentions  Petrarch  at  the  time.  This  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
of  Goethe's  ballads. 

II.  3-4.    He  thus  spoke  to  himself  before  he  made  the  contract  with 
the  Evil  One. 

I.  7.   These  are  the  words  of  the  compact  by  which  he  gives  up  his 
soul,  if  aided  to  find  the  hidden  treasure. 

II.  9-1 1.    The  circles,   flames,   etc.   pertain    to   the   incantation.   — 
$r(Wt  Itttb  $ltod)etttt)erff  herbs  and  bones. 

\.  21.  Literally,  and  then  all  preparations  were  of  no  avail.  The 
coming  of  the  boy  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  all  precautions 
would  have  been  useless,  even  if  he  had  been  the  Evil  One. 

1.    27.    £ttttfe£,  explained  by  1.  33  below. 

1.  33.  The  last  stanza  is  spoken  by  the  boy.  —  SJlttt  fce3  rcittCtt  fic= 
fcettJ§,  desire  to  live  aright. 

83.  2(tt  (Scatter. 

First  appeared  in  Sriefwedjfel  gttrifdjeii  <Srf)itter  itnb  ©oetlje,  1829; 
taken  into  9tad)gelaffene  2Ber!e,  1833. 

As  the  title  explains,  sent  as  a  letter  to  Schiller. 


232  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  84,  85. 


84,  $er 

First  appeared  in  Schiller's  SDhtfenatmanacf)  fiir  ba§  3af)r  1798; 
taken  into  9?eiie  <Sdjviften,  1800. 

The  ballad  was  written  in  the  spring  or  early  summer  of  1797;  it 
certainly  existed  before  July  19,  when  Goethe  mentioned  it  in  a  letter  to 
Bottiger.  The  source  is  Lucian's  $*Ao^«;<%  (Siigenfreuitb,  in  Wie- 
land's  translation),  which  was  doubtless  also  known  to  Goethe  in  Wie- 
land's  translation  of  Lucian.  There  Eucrates  tells  of  a  journey  in 
Egpyt  with  the  Egyptian  priest  Pancrates.  They  traveled  without  ser- 
vants, and  whenever  they  needed  service,  Pancrates  would  transform  a 
broom  or  whatever  else  was  at  hand  into  human  form,  make  it  do 
whatever  was  necessary,  and  then  turn  it  back  into  its  original  shape. 
Eucrates  learned  the  formula  secretly  and  in  the  temporary  absence  of 
Pancrates  turned  a  wooden  pestle  into  a.  water-carrier,  with  results  like 
those  mentioned  in  the  poem.  Goethe  therefore  borrowed  the  theme, 
but  his  changes  in  the  details  and  in  the  whole  manner  of  treatment  in 
turning  it  into  a  ballad  are  very  successful. 

I.  5-    933ortT,  SBerfC,  and  Skautf)  (1.  6)  refer  to  the  magic  formula 
by  which  the  master  makes  the  transformation. 

II.  9-14.    These  are  the  words  of  the  formula  which  the  boy  repeats 
to  make  sure  of  them. 

1.  13.  3rf)lUttUc,   here  referring  to  the  quantity  of  the  water;  say, 

stream.  Bowring  translates  the  line,  "  and  with  teeming  waters." 

1.  41.  e3  is  explained  by  1.  42. 

1.  52.  laffeit,  allow.     Contrast  with  (djfcit,  stop,  of  1.  66. 

1.  54.  The  transformed  broom  eludes  his  grasp. 

1.  74.  SdjarfC,  (cutting)  edge. 


85.  $>er  ^tntflgcfctt  wnb  bcr 


First  appeared  in  Schiller's  JUlufenalmanadj  fiir  ba§  3al)r  1799; 
taken  into  9?eue  @d)rifteit,  1800. 

In  the  autumn  of  1  797  Goethe  went  to  Switzerland.  One  of  the  re- 
sults of  this  journey  was  a  series  of  four  ballads,  dealing  with  a  2ftutte= 
rttt,  who  is,  however,  not  the  same  person  in  all  four.  3)et  3ltnggefett 
unb  ber  sJJ{iihlbad)  is  noticeably  the  best  of  the  series  and  is  moreover 


Sel.  85-87.]  NOTES.  233 

one  of  Goethe's  most  charming  ballads.  It  seems  to  have  been  com- 
pleted at  Stuttgart  on  September  4,  1797,  as  Goethe  was  on  his  way  to 
Switzerland.  In  his  letter  of  August  31,  1797,  to  Schiller,  he  wrote: 
2ftuj3  id)  Sbnen  fagen,  baft  id)  untertoegeS  auf  tin  poetifdjeS  ©enre  ge* 
fatten  bin,  in  roeldjem  rtrir  ftinftig  nteljr  madjen  rniifjen  .  .  .  @8  finb 
®etyrad)e  in  fitebenu  .  .  .  e«  taftt  ftdj  in  bicfer  gorm  mand)e§  fagen, 
man  tnufj  nur  erft  bineinfommen  nnb  biefer  5trt  tbr  (StgentbiimUcbeS 
abgettrinnen.  3d)  babe  fo  etn  ©efyra'd)  gttrifdjen  einem  $naben,  ber  in 
eine  Mtterin  toerUebt  ift,  unb  bem  9Jiublbac^  angefangen  unb  boffe  e§ 
ba(b  jit  iiberfdjtcfen.  2)a§  ^oetifd)»tro|)if^=attegortfdf)e  lutrb  bnrc^ 
btefe  SBenbung  lebenbig,  unb  befonberS  auf  ber  SReife,  rt)o  einen  fo 
triele  ©egenftdnbe  anfpved)en,  ift  e§  etn  redjt  gnte§  ®enre. 
1.  g.  rjcfaf»t,  inclosed,  walled  in,  so  as  to  make  the  mill-race 

ben). 

1.  15.    2$Ittt,  here  meaning  a  person,  fellow. 


86. 

First  appeared  in  Schiller's  SJhlfenatmanad)  fitr  ba«  3at)r  1799; 
taken  into  2Berfe,  1815. 

Also  a  product  of  the  Swiss  journey,  having  been  written  on  October 
I,  1797,  at  Altorf  in  Canton  Uri.  On  that  date  his  diary  has  the  entry: 
2Utorf.  SRegentootfen,  9?ebef,  @d)nee  auf  ben  na'djften  ©tyfeln.  The 
sight  of  the  snow  which  had  fallen  on  the  mountains  overnight  called 
forth  the  poem.  It  seems  to  be  a  lament  over  the  approach  of  old  age. 
The  singular  of  the  word  2lty(e)  means  a  high  mountain  and,  in  Swit- 
zerland, particularly  one  adapted  for  grazing. 

1.  i.  ber  Steben,  meaning  Gtbriftiaue. 

1.  6.  ftetoegltd),  say,  vivid.  He  means  a  dream  full  of  changing  in- 
cidents. 

87.  $te  attufageten. 

First  appeared  in  Schiller's  9JJufenaImanad)  fur  ba«  3al)r  1799; 
taken  into  Serte,  1806. 

According  to  the  testimony  of  Goethe's  diary  the  poem  was  written  at 
Jena  on  June  16,  1798,  and  is  doubtless  based  on  personal  experience. 

Musaget,  referring  in  the  first  place  to  Apollo  as  leader  of  the 
Muses;  the  special  meaning  here  is  shown  in  the  last  lines  of  the  poem. 


234  GOETHES    GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  87-89. 

1.  6.  fromttt,  ate  ben  frii&en  ©bttern  getoei&t.   (v.  Loeper.) 

1.  10.    blimpf,  dull,  heavy. 

1.  20.    bchlttCU,  prolonged. 

1.  22.  £ie&.  Goethe  was  earlier  very  fond  of  the  word  in  such  con- 
nections. It  is  often  so  nearly  without  meaning  as  used  in  colloquial, 
idiomatic  German  that  it  is  best  omitted  in  translation. 


88.  9ln  bie  ©iinftigen. 

First  appeared  in  9?eue  @d)riften,  1800. 

Written  in  1 799  as  a  sort  of  poetical  preface  to  the  lyrics  published  in 
Sfteue  @(i)riften  and  addressed  to  the  "gentle  reader."  In  editions  of 
Goethe's  works  it  now  stands  in  the  second  place  among  the  lyrics  and 
with  the  poem  33orffage,  which  there  precedes  it,  and  the  motto  (Sel. 
no)  it  still  serves  as  the  preface  to  the  lyrics,  while  3iteigtumg  is  the 
poetical  preface  to  the  whole  of  the  works.  (See  notes  to  Sel.  56.) 
The  first  stanza  explains  humorously  why  poets  have  to  rush  into  print. 
The  second  states  that  the  lyrics,  as  has  so  often  been  mentioned  in  these 
Notes,  are  the  expression  of  his  own  experiences  and  emotions.  As  we 
have  already  seen,  this  statement  must  be  taken  with  qualifications.  Not 
all  of  the  lyrics,  to  say  nothing  of  ballads  and  other  poems,  found  their 
basis  in  his  own  life.  Nevertheless  the  statement  is  essentially  correct. 
(See  Introduction.) 

1.  5-    fub  9?ofo,  in  secret. 

89.  ftrufoeittfler  SrWng. 

First  appeared  in  Wieland  and  Goethe's  £af(f)en6ud)  Oilf  ba8  3>af)r 
1804  ;  taken  into  S&erfe,  1806. 

Presumably  a  product  of  the  early  spring  of  1801  when  Goethe  spent 
several  weeks  at  his  country  place  near  Weimar,  which  he  had  purchased 
in  the  spring  of  1798.  Convalescent  after  a  severe  illness  he  went  out 
into  the  country  with  his  family  towards  the  end  of  March  and  found 
the  weather  pleasant.  The  poem  was  in  Zelter's  hands  early  in  March, 
1802. 

1.  i.  2Boitlte,  caused  by  the  return  of  spring  and  probably  intensified 
by  the  recovery  from  serious  illness. 


Sel.  89,  90.]  NOTES.  235 

1.  31.    Note  the  closing  lines  of  9tte£t§  Itnb  ®ora  (Sel.  79). 

1.  33.  In  the  closing  stanza  comes  the  poetic  explanation  that  the 
rapture  of  spring  is  after  all  due  to  the  presence  of  the  sweetheart. 
Note  also  2ftaiUeb  (Sel.  9),  particularly  the  last  four  stanzas,  for  a 
parallel. 

90. 


First  appeared  in  Wieland  and  Goethe's  £afd)enBll<i)  auf  bag  3ahr 
1804  ;  taken  into  2Berfe,  1806. 

This  poem  is  also  presumably  a  product  of  the  spring  of  1801,  and  it 
was  also  in  Zelter's  hands  in  March,  1802.  As  remarked  by  Bieder- 
mann  and  others,  it  was  evidently  suggested  by  some  25otf§tieb.  From 
the  period  at  Strassburg  with  Herder,  and  probably  even  before  that 
time,  Goethe  had  felt  strong  interest  in  the  3>otf3lteb,  an  interest  to  be 
traced  in  many  ways  in  not  a  few  of  his  own  poems.  His  sympathy  for 
this  natural  poetry  of  his  people  never  left  him,  in  fact,  but  now  at  the 
beginning  of  the  new  century  his  extreme  predilection  for  classic  theme 
and  form  had  spent  its  force,  and  he  had  already  returned  to  a  more 
sympathetic  attitude  towards  things  German  and  modern.  At  this  time 
the  literary  public  was  beginning  to  find  the  23oIf§Heb  again  worthy  of 
its  attention,  and  it  was  only  to  be  expected  that  Goethe,  whose  natural 
inclinations  and  revived  sympathies  so  disposed  him,  should  fall  in  with 
the  popular  movement. 

The  direct  influence  of  the  SBotfStieb  upon  individual  poems  of  Goethe 
is  manifested  in  various  ways.  Sometimes  he  imitates  only  the  general 
tone  ;  at  others,  starting  from  a  line  or  a  stanza,  he  makes  a  new  poem, 
often  with  similar,  often  with  very  dissimilar,  contents;  at  other  times, 
as  in  the  case  of  §etbenrb§tein,  for  example,  he  borrows  both  tone  and 
contents,  and  his  part  consists  in  the  refinement  of  word  and  sentiment 
and  of  the  general  artistic  treatment.  @C&ofer§  $lagetieb  belongs 
rather  to  the  second  category. 

1.  5.  fof(Jrf  i.e.  as  they  go  down  into  the  valley,  he  follows  uncon- 
sciously, being  lost  in  melancholy  thoughts. 

1.  17.   2)er  Sfagenbogen  tft  fiir  ibn  fetn  ^riebenSbote.   (Diintzer.) 

1.  18.  ftof)(,  as  often  in  the  33off§Ueb,  is  of  so  little  meaning  here  that 
it  may  be  omitted  in  English.  It  is  frequently  used  very  much  as  "  I 
ween  "  in  English  ballads,  apparently  doing  little  more  than  to  fill  out 
the  line.  It  could  possibly  be  rendered  by  directly  here. 


236  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  91. 

First  appeared  in  Wieland  and  Goethe's  Xafdjeitburf)  CUtf  ba§  3afyr 
1804;  taken  into  SSerfe,  1806. 

In  the  autumn  of  1801  Goethe  established  the  so-called  2)littftod)§= 
frdnjcfyen,  a  small  circle  or  club  of  fourteen  members  in  all,  which  met 
at  his  house  once  a  fortnight.  Its  meetings  continued  till  the  spring  of 
1802.  For  this  little  circle  he  wrote  several  of  his  poems  which  now 
appear  in  the  editions  of  his  works,  together  with  others  of  earlier  and 
later  origin,  under  the  general  heading  of  ($efefltge  SHeber.  (For  a  very 
interesting  account  of  the  origin  and  character  of  this  circle  by  one  of 
its  members,  Grafin  Egloffstein,  see  the  article,  Goethe 's  Cour  D^  Amour, 
in  Vol.  6  of  ©oetl)e=3a^rbll^.)  £if(f)Iieb  was  written  for  the  meeting 
of  the  circle  on  February  22,  1802,  as  is  shown  by  the  correspondence 
between  Goethe  and  Schiller  on  February  1 7-20  of  that  year. 

1.  i.  This  stanza  was  suggested  by  the  second  stanza  of  the  Latin 
song,  Meum  est propositum  in  taberna  mori,  long  popular  as  a  student 
song.  The  stanza  runs : 

Poculis  accenditur 

Animi  lucerna, 
Cor  imbutum  nectare 
Volat  ad  superna. 
Mihi  sapit  dulcius 
Vinum  de  taberna. 

1.  14.    ol)ttr  Otte  $dl)rbe,  -without  deceit,  in  all  sincerity. 

1.  21.  @Ute  $mt1tbe  Jtcfjen  fort.  Prince  Karl  Friedrich  of  Wei- 
mar was  about  to  depart  for  Paris,  and  this  meeting  of  the  circle  was 
called  to  bid  him  farewell.  He  was  present  as  the  guest  of  honor. 
Goethe  had  been  at  Jena  for  several  days,  when  the  idea  of  this 
special  meeting  of  the  circle  in  view  of  the  departure  of  the  prince,  was 
broached  to  him  by  Schiller,  then  at  Weimar.  He  at  first  refused  but 
finally  consented  to  return  to  Weimar  and  to  have  the  meeting  at  his 
own  house.  It  is  possible  that  only  the  third  stanza  was  written  for  this 
special  occasion  and  that  the  rest  of  the  poem  had  originated  a  few  days 
earlier  at  Jena,  when  Goethe  had  no  thought  of  attending  the  meeting. 
It  may  be  observed  that  the  rime  scheme  of  this  stanza  is  different  from 
that  of  the  others. 


Sel.  91, 92.]  NOTES.  237 

1.  22.  Before  the  introduction  of  the  metric  system  the  %Reile  was 
used  as  a  standard  of  measurement.  It  varied  somewhat  in  different 
parts  of  Germany,  but  was  roughly  about  five  of  our  miles. 

1.  25.  After  the  allusion  to  the  prince  follows  a  series  of  toasts  to  an 
ever-widening  circle.  This  stanza  toasts  the  ruler,  here  called  $ontg. 
The  original  version  seems  to  have  had  a  more  direct  allusion  to  Karl 
August. 

1.  32.  9Jld)r  ttodj,  twe  er  meljre,  apparently  an  allusion  to  the  trans- 
lation of  Augustus  of  the  imperial  German  title  by  SRebrer  (augmen- 
tor)  and  possibly  a  veiled  compliment  to  Karl  August. 

1.  33.    This  stanza  toasts  the  sweetheart  of  each  one  present. 

1.  45.    ber  iftefcel,  genitive  plural. 

1.  49.    S3retter,  because  he  is  including  more  in  the  toast. 

92.  SKatur  uitb  £unft,  fie  fdjeinen  ftrf)  511  fltef)ett. 

First  appeared  as  part  of  2BaS  ^ir  bringen,  SSorfptet  bei  (Sroffnnng 
be§  neuen  @d)aujpieIt)OU|e§  JU  £aufrf)ftdbt,  1802;  taken  as  a  separate 
poem  into  28erte,  1836. 

The  theater  at  the  little  resort  Lauschstadt,  not  far  from  Halle,  was  of 
importance,  financially  and  otherwise,  to  the  Weimar  troupe,  and  Goethe, 
to  whom  the  chief  direction  of  theatrical  affairs  at  Weimar  had  been 
given,  finally  succeeded  in  having  the  poor  structure  at  Lauschstadt  re- 
placed by  a  better.  The  opening  of  the  new  theater  took  place  on 
June  27,  1802,  and  Goethe  wrote  for  it,  2&a§  ttrir  bringen.  The  son- 
net, which  may  have  been  written  earlier,  stands  at  the  close  of  the 
nineteenth  scene,  being  spoken  by  the  nymph.  It  is  immediately  pre- 
ceded by  the  words : 

3m  ©inne  fdjiuebt  mir  eine§  $idjter§  alter  ©prudj, 
SDen  man  mid)  lefyrte,  ofyne  bafj  id)  ifjn  begrtff, 
Unb  ben  id)  nun  berftefye,  tt>et(  cr  mid)  beglitrft. 

Primarily  the  apparent  conflict  of  nature  and  art  was  intended  to  refer 
to  the  form  of  the  sonnet,  and  ber  2Bibertt)ifle  of  1.  3  finds  its  explana-* 
tion  in  Goethe's  formerly  expressed  aversion  to  such  artificial  verse. 
(For  a  discussion  of  Goethe's  relations  to  the  sonnet,  see  notes  to  Sel. 
98.)  But  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  the  poem  expresses  with  equal 
clearness  Goethe's  views  of  the  relation  of  nature  and  art.  The  change 


238  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  92, 93. 

from  the  opinion,  held  in  the  days  of  ($51,5  and  S&ertfier,  that  genius  is 
a  law  unto  itself,  to  the  convictions  uttered  in  11.  12-14  is  almost  startling. 
It  is  a  complete  intellectual  revolution.  The  thought  that  only  law  can 
make  us  free  is  a  summary  of  the  results  of  that  long  process  of  educa- 
tion which  we  have  traced  from  Strassburg  to  Frankfort,  from  Frankfort 
to  Weimar,  from  Weimar  to  Italy,  from  Italy  back  to  Germany. 

1.  10.   Itngebunbette,  i.e.  ^vless,  without  self-restraint ;  contrast  with 

ftrf)  sufammenraffett  of  1.  12. 

93.  $od)settaeb. 

First  appeared  in  Wieland  and  Goethe's  £dfc!)enbudj  Ollf  ba§  3&f)V 
1804;  taken  into  2Berfe,  1806. 

The  ballad  was  sent  to  Zelter  with  the  letter  of  December  6,  1802. 
It  was  apparently  begun  in  the  preceding  February;  at  what  time  be- 
tween that  month  and  December  it  was  completed  is  unknown.  The 
outline  of  the  poem  was  doubtless  suggested  by  some  legend.  A  similar 
story  is  told,  for  example,  in  2)eittjd)e  ©Cigen,  issued  in  1816  by  the 
brothers  Grimm,  under  the  title,  3)e8  Keilten  SSolfeS  ^OC^JCttfeft,  but 
having  a  different  conclusion.  When  and  how  Goethe  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  legend  is  unknown.  According  to  his  own  statement 
this  was  one  of  the  themes  which  he  had  carried  in  mind  for  many 
years.  As  happened  in  other  cases,  some  outward  occasion,  to  us  un- 
known, caused  it  to  crystallize  into  a  ballad. 

The  whole  poem  is  put  into  the  mouth  of  an  old  servant  who,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  marriage  of  the  present  count  (Snfct  of  1.  3)  tells  of  an 
experience  of  a  former  count  (®raf  of  1.  i),  long  since  deceased  (be§ 
feltgen  §errn  of  1.  3),  who  on  returning  from  one  of  the  crusades  found 
his  castle  deserted  and  much  fallen  to  decay. 

1.  i.  ftitflcn  Ultb  fageit,  a  survival  of  the  old  alliterative  formula  per- 
taining to  the  two  phases  of  the  poetry  of  the  medieval  German  min- 
strels and  to  the  manner  in  which  it  was  brought  before  their  hearers. 
The  words  do  not  differ  especially  in  meaning  here. 

1.  6.  3w  (Sfjreit  geftrttten,  fought  and  won  honor.  —  mnumgctt, 
instead  of  ntanrfjen. 

1.  10.    This  stanza  is  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  count. 

1.  ii.  frfjltmmer,  i.e.  worse  than  foreign  lands,  or  possibly,  worse 
than  he  had  thought,  as  Strehlke  suggests. 


Sel.93,  94.]  NOTES.  239 

11.  21-22.    Again  words  of  the  count. 
.  24.    3(ltt^c(,  lamp. 

.  37.    The  three  horsemen,  who  have  been  waiting  under  the  bed, 
ride  out  at  the  head  of  the  bridal  procession. 
.42.    fo  .  .  .  ttl$,  both  .  .  .  and. 
.  46.    dfle£,  every  one.     Notice  also  bfl3  of  1.  62. 
.51.  riltflCft  and  the  other  verbs  in  this  line  all  refer  to  the  dancing. 
.  52.    jrifpct't,   which  is  synonomous  with   ftiiftcrt,  and  the  other 
verbs  in  this  line  refer  to  the  talking  of  the  little  guests. 

1.  55-  b(lWdtT3,  there  is  a  hurrying  about.  —  rap^clt  is  synono- 
mous with  f  Insert,  and  both  refer  to  the  noise  of  the  benches,  etc. 
The  dwarfs  have  stopped  dancing  and  begin  their  banquet. 

1.  65.  Xo&Ctt  Ultb  £ofett,  i.e.  of  the  present  feast  at  which  he  is 
singing  the  song.  With  the  next  line  the  recital  returns  to  the  former 
count. 

1.  69.    tmiutlirfjcr  3d)uwU,  he  means  numerous  wedding-guests. 
1.  70.    IteiflCH  ftrf),  i.e.  to  the  former  count,  just  as  others  are  doing 
to-day  at  the  marriage  of  his  descendant. 


94.  $er  'JJattenfchtger. 

First  appeared  in  Wieland  and  Goethe's  £afd)enbud)  ailf  ba8  3af)r 
1804  ;  taken  into  SBerfe,  1806. 

The  time  of  its  origin  is  uncertain.  Riemer  states  (SJUttljeitungen  II, 
620)  :  (Seiner  programme  311  $inberbafleten  erttwljnte  ©oettje  mebr= 
mats  gegen  mid),  au§  ber  friibern  X^eateqeit  Don  23eHomo  itnb  Sftoretti, 
.  .  .  ein  anbereS  (mar)  ber  5ftattenfanger  ;  an§  rt)eld)en  nod)  bie  Sfto* 
manje  :  ,,3d)  bin  ber  toofytbefannte  ©anger,  it.  f.  to."  ftc^  erbatten  Ijat. 
Riemer's  notice  might  refer  to  a  troupe  playing  in  Weimar  between  the 
years  1784  and  1791,  or  to  another  in  the  years  1801-1803.  The  theme 
is  the  well-known  story  of  the  pied  piper  of  Hamelin,  who  cleared  the 
old  city  of  rats,  but  being  refused  his  pay,  enticed  all  the  children  of  the 
city  away  with  his  music  and  never  returned  with  them.  (See  Brown- 
ing's Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin?)  Goethe,  however,  treats  the  theme  very 
differently. 

1.  13.    Itorf)  fo  triUng  (instead  of  trofctg),  ever  so  defiant. 

1.  14.  ftUtjtg,  stubborn. 


240  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  95, 96. 


95. 

First  appeared  in  Wieland  and  Goethe's  £afd)enbud)  auf  ba§  3dfyr 
1804  ;  taken  into  SBerfe,  1806. 

The  exact  time  of  its  origin  is  unknown.  It  was  presumably  inspired 
by  a  ruined  castle  near  Jena  and  by  Sylvie  von  Ziegesar  with  whom 
Goethe  stood  on  terms  of  intimate  friendship.  "  Sylvie  von  Ziegesar,  her 
songs,  her  guitar,  the  ruins  of  the  castle,  formed  a  poetic  whole  "  (von 
Loeper,  who  assigns  the  poem  conjecturally  to  1801).  Sylvie's  friend 
Luise  Seidler  wrote  later  (as  quoted  by  von  Loeper),  referring  to  the 
days  together  at  Jena,  but  apparently  not  thinking  of  the  poem :  ©t)t* 
m'ens  ©uitarre  leiftctc  ©efeUfcfyaft ;  ibre  £ieber  tonten  im  SBettftreit 
mit  jenen  ber  ©anger  be§  SBalbeS.  3)ic  Stbcnbe  oertebten  tuir  baufig 
in  ber  Shtine  Sobeba,  jaben  Don  ba  cms  bie  23erge  im  2lbenbgotb  leucfyten 
nub  lieften  un8  Don  ben  @ternen  beimleucbten.  The  situation  is  es- 
sentially that  of  the  poem.  The  poet  sees  the  ruins  of  the  castle  and  calls 
to  mind  those  who  formerly  peopled  it.  The  sight  of  his  sweetheart,  for 
into  such  he  has  with  poetic  license  transformed  his  youthful  friend 
Sylvie,  suggests  the  remainder. 

1.  i.  See  the  beginning  of  Schafers  $Iagelieb  (Sel.  90)  and  the 
notes  thereto. 

15.    IjciltflCH  9JlflfjIe,  holy  Communion. 

ig.   Contrast  fluffjttij  here  and  in  the  next  line  with  the  behavior 


of 


iero  and  heroine  in  11.  51-52.     The  "Jtouf  is,  of  course,  a  kiss. 


24.  toerttwnbt  =  oerirjanbelt. 

43.    (£$  JCltgtC,  acted  as  witness  (of  the  marriage  ceremony). 

46.  3m  ftitteit  dtteS  tJCrtor,  everything  quietly  disappeared.  He 
means  that  the  vision  has  disappeared  and  the  actuality  returned;  the 
castle  is  once  more  a  ruin,  he  is  again  a  man  of  the  present  world  and 
she  his  sweetheart. 

1.  51.    A  humorous  contrast  to  1.  20.     No  hasty  kiss  this  time. 

96.   Vanitas  !   vanitatum  vanitas ! 

First  appeared  in  SBerte,  1806. 

The  poem  was  written  early  in  1806  and  was  apparently  begun  as  a 
parody  of  the  first  stanza  of  an  old  hymn  beginning,  3(f)  I)ob'  mein  @od) 


Sel.  96, 97.]  NOTES.  241 

©Ott  fjeimgefteHt,  and  with  use  also  of  an  old  saying,  2Ber  feme  ©ad)' 
ailf  nidjtS  ftetlt,  bem  taitn  eg  Iticht  feblen.  Compare  with  this  the  com- 
mon parody  of  one  of  the  beatitudes :  "  Blessed  is  the  man  who  ex- 
pects nothing,  for  he'll  not  be  disappointed."  The  title  was  suggested 
by  the  Latin  version  of  the  well-known  passage  in  Ecclesiastes.  Goethe 
seems  to  have  sought  refuge  from  the  distress  of  the  time,  as  at  other 
periods  in  his  life,  by  busying  himself  with  poetical  themes  of  a  very 
different  tenor. 

1.  i.  /  have  slaked  my  all  (niy  cause}  on  nothing,  or  I  have  set  my 
heart  on  nothing.  Stiff)  seems  to  be  here  the  neuter  in  a  collective 
sense. 

1.  7.  JWetge,  commonly  "dregs"  or  "remnant."  We  might  say  here, 
these  last  drops. 

1.  19.    Xeil,  say,  partner. 

1.  24.  $nter(aitb§art,  in  leaving  his  country  he  also  left  its  ways, 
manners  and  customs  behind  him,  and  could  not  get  used  to  what  he 
found  in  other  countries. 

1.  28.  Uerftrwb  mtdj  redjt,  because  he  could  not  speak  the  language 
of  the  foreign  country  well. 

1.  41.  The  line  is  obscure,  but  he  seems  to  mean  that  the  army  to 
which  he  belonged  maltreated  both  friend  and  foe  impartially. 

97.  2tteMiftojjI)efe3  foridjt 

First  appeared  in  9tiidblicfe  in  tnein  £eben.  2(u8  bem  Sftacfjlaffe  toon 
§.  £ltben,  1847.  Luden  was  professor  of  history  at  Jena.  After  his 
call  to  that  university,  and  before  he  had  entered  upon  his  duties,  he 
made  a  visit  to  the  little  city  and  was  given  two  interviews  with  Goethe, 
on  August  1 8  and  19,  1806.  At  the  second  of  these  Luden  remarked 
in  the  midst  of  a  conversation  about  history,  that  it  was  the  hardest  of 
all  studies.  To  this  Goethe  replied,  as  quoted  by  Luden :  Qtt  biefer 
helming  finb  @te  toobl  junadjft  ge!ommen,  tt>eit  @ie  jtrf)  am  meiften 
mit  ber  ©efdjtdjte  befdjaftigt  baben.  2B(ire  2fte})hiftopf)efe«  gegen= 
ttwrttg,  jo  toiirbe  er  etttm  folgenben  $iuittetreim  ^atbetifcf)  Ijerbefla* 
mieren.  Then  he  recited  this  poem.  The  conversation  had  been  about 
Ciut  a  few  moments  before. 


242  GOETHES    GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  98. 

98.  3Jlarf)ttge3  Uberrafrfjem 

First  appeared  in  SBerfe,  1815. 

The  question  whether  the  sonnet  has  a  legitimate  place  in  German 
poetry  had  arisen  once  more  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, and  the  poets  of  the  time  were  by  no  means  of  one  mind  in  their 
views  or  practice  with  reference  to  the  subject  of  controversy.  Al- 
though he  had  already  made  some  small  use  of  the  sonnet,  Goethe's  first 
feeling  seemed  to  be  one  of  hostility,  finding  expression  in  2)a§  @0tiett, 
which  was  presumably  written  about  1800,  and  of  which  the  concluding 
lines  run: 

9tur  tuetfj  id)  I)ier  mid)  nid)t  bcquem  311  betten, 
3d)  fdjneibc  fonft  jo  gcrn  au§  ganjcm  ^oljc, 
llnb  miifjte  nun  bod)  and)  mitunter  tetmen. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  sonnet  9?atlir  Itttb  $linft,  ftc  fd)eineit  fid)  gll  flic= 
l)en  (Sel.  92),  recognizes  fully  the  worth  of  this  form  of  poetry. 

Here  the  matter  rested,  so  far  as  the  actual  composition  of  sonnets 
was  concerned,  until  November,  1807,  when  several  influences  working 
together  led  the  poet  to  write  in  the  next  few  weeks,  at  Jena  and  at 
Weimar,  a  series  of  17  sonnets,  which  were  first  published  in  the  year 
1815,  with  the  exception  of  two  which  were  not  added  to  the 
works  until  1827.  These  influences  were :  The  publication  at  Jena  of 
a  German  translation  of  Petrarch,  the  great  Italian  master  of  the  son- 
net, with  the  consequent  revival  of  Goethe's  interest  in  this  poet ;  the 
presence  at  Jena  of  Zacharias  Werner,  who  read  his  own  sonnets  to 
Goethe  and  apparently  called  forth  a  friendly  rivalry  on  the  latter's 
part;  the  visit  of  Bettina  Brentano  at  Weimar  only  a  short  while  be- 
fore Goethe's  going  to  Jena;  Goethe's  interest  in  Minna  Herzlieb,  the 
foster-child  of  Frommann,  who  published  the  translation  of  Petrarch  and 
in  whose  house  Goethe  and  Werner  frequently  met. 

How  great  the  influence  of  Bettina  and  of  Minna  was,  is  at  present 
hard  to  decide.  It  seems  probable,  however,  that  Bettina's  role  was 
unimportant  and  Minna's  commonly  much  overestimated.  Although 
Goethe  himself  said  later  that  he  had  once  loved  Minna  more  than  was 
fitting,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  his  love  for  her  was  not  great, 
while  she  certainly  had  no  other  feeling  than  respect  and  admiration  for 
her  elderly  friend.  Goethe's  affection  for  her  must  have  been  mostly 


Sel.  98, 99.]  NOTES.  243 

professional;  he  was  writing  sonnets  in  friendly  rivalry  with  Werner; 
to  correspond  with  Petrarch's  Laura  he  needed  a  sweetheart;  he  was 
meeting  frequently  in  her  own  home  a  pretty  young  woman  whom  he 
had  known  as  a  child;  with  his  ever  great  susceptibility  to  feminine 
charms  a  mild  affection  for  her  was  the  natural  result. 

That  Goethe's  feelings  were  of  such  mild  character  seems  to  be  made 
evident  by  the  sonnets  themselves.  They  do  not  seem  to  speak  the 
language  of  hearfelt  emotion.  They  are  at  times  obscure  and  frequent- 
ly unnatural  in  thought  and  expression.  They  lack  the  best  qualities  of 
Goethe's  management  of  rime  and  rhythm.  After  the  writing  of  this 
series,  Goethe's  interest  seems  to  have  ceased.  The  score  or  so  of  son- 
nets which  appear  in  his  collected  works  help  in  no  way  to  increase  his 
fame  and  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  least  successful  phases  of  his 
poetic  work. 

Wttd)ti$t§  U&errafeJjett,  depicts,  under  the  figure  of  a  stream,  a 
man,  probably  the  poet  himself,  suddenly  seized  by  an  overmastering 
passion  for  a  maiden. 

1.  i.    Hltttuolftcit,  because  its  source  is  in  the  mountains. 

1.  3.  tJOtt  ©rttltb  §U  (Sfriiubett,  from  vale  to  vale,  that  is,  on  its 
course  downward.  The  stream  was  rushing  on  to  the  ocean  like  a 
man  intent  in  carrying  out  his  purpose. 

1.  7.  Orefl£,  the  mountain  nymph.  The  stanza  represents  figura- 
tively the  sudden  love  of  the  man  by  which  he  is  held  back  from  the 
accomplishment  of  former  purpose  and  made  to  look  inward. 

1.  8.  <3tf)ale,  apparently  the  bed  of  the  stream,  dammed  up  by  fal- 
len trees  and  rocks;  say,  basin. 

1.  9-    SScttc,  meaning  the  stream. 

1.  ii.    $ater,  i-  e.  the  ocean. 

99.  $>ie  fitebcnbc  afcermafS. 

History  of  origin  and  publication  the  same  as  for  Sel.  98. 
Possibly  an  echo  of  Bettina's  enthusiastic  adoration  of  Goethe  and  of 
her  letters  to  him. 

1.  9.  mag,  can. 

1.  14.  in  fid)  tJOfleitbet,  i.  e.  her  feelings  were  too  deep  for  words; 
the  presence  of  her  lover  was  the  crown  and  completion  of  all. 


244  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  100-101. 


100.  3n  ba3  ©tammoud)  ber  lOjatjrtgcn  SBertfja  boit  Sober. 

Cited  in  the  first  volume  of  <£hronif  be8  SBtener  ®oetl)e=$evetn§,  1887, 
which  also  explains  that  Bertha  von  Loder,  who  was  about  ten  years 
old  at  the  time  of  the  writing  of  these  lines,  married  a  von  Liitzow  in 
1820  and  died  in  1844.  She  was  the  daughter  of  the  anatomist  Loder. 

The  lines  are  given  here  as  representative  of  the  large  number  of  po- 
ems written  in  autograph  albums  or  otherwise  addressed  to  persons. 
Their  number  grew  with  Goethe's  increasing  fame.  Many  of  them 
were,  as  a  matter  of  course,  more  or  less  perfunctory;  on  the  other 
hand  some  may  be  counted  among  Goethe's  most  successful  achieve- 
ments. 

101.   Ergo  bibamus. 

First  appeared  in  ©efcinge  ber  SHebertafet,  1811;  taken  into  2Berfe, 
1815. 

In  Goethe's  ^arbentefyre  (II,  192)  is  the  following  passage :  @§ 
fdltt  im$  bei  btefer  ©elegenhett  ein,  bafe  SBafebort),  ber  etn  ftarfer  £rin* 
fer  roar  iinb  in  fetnen  beften  3at)ren  in  guter  ©efettjdjaft  einen  feljr  er= 
freuUcfyen  ^urnor  geigte,  ftets  ju  befyaupten  pflegte :  bte  ^onllufton  ergo 
bibamus  paffe  ju  alien  ^ramiffen.  (5§  i(t  jd)on  ^Better,  ergo  bibamus ! 
@8  ift  etn  fytifclicfjer  Sag,  ergo  bibamus !  3Bir  ftnb  unter  ^wunben, 
ergo  bibamus !  (Ss  [inb  fatale  23urjd)e  in  ber  ©efeflftfjaft,  ergo  biba- 
mus!  (For  further  account  of  Basedow  see  notes  to  Sel.  19  and  20.) 
This  passage  and  a  conversation  about  it  led  Riemer  (as  related  in  his 
33rocarbica)  to  compose  a  drinking  song  with  the  words  Ergo  bibamus 
as  refrain.  Riemer's  production  stimulated  Goethe  to  write  this  poem 
in  March,  1810.  In  it  Goethe  carries  out  in  considerable  detail  Base- 
dow's  contention  that  Ergo  bibamus  is  befitting  in  all  circumstances. 

1.  4.    befycrstflt,  take  to  heart,  consider. 

1.  6.  JUJtt  (SJrftCtt  .  .  .  fO  fort,  i.e.  it  will  do  for  firstly,  secondly, 
etc. 

1.  21.  frfjmorgt,  saves  in  a  niggardly  -way.  No  matter  how  much 
the  miser  saves  by  undue  economy  in  eating,  drinking,  etc.  (DOItt 
,  the  joyous  man  is  always  cared  for. 


Sel.  102-104.]  NOTES.  245 

102,  Jmumeitgrufj. 

First  appeared  in  SBerfe,  1815. 

The  poem  was  given  to  Zelter  in  the  summer  of  1810  and  set  to 
music  by  him.  The  circumstances  and  date  of  its  origin  are  unknown. 
Internal  evidence  makes  a  date  much  earlier  than  1810  seem  reason- 
able. 

1.  6.    tt)tC,  say,  how  many. 

103.  2TCttUieb. 

First  appeared  in  SBerfe,  1815. 

It  was  set  to  music  by  Zelter  in  October,  1810,  and  may  have  been 
called  forth  by  Goethe's  journey  to  Bohemia  in  May  of  that  year,  al- 
though a  much  earlier  origin  seems  not  improbable. 

1.  2.  4?erfeit  Mb  2>0ftt,  possibly  meaning  together  hedges  of  thorn, 
but  more  probably  §ecfen  and  £)orn  are  contrasted  as  SBetjen  and 
$ont,  SBciume  and  ©ra8.  "Between  hedgerows  and  thorn."  (Bow- 
ring.) 

1.  8.    ($olbrf)eitf  meaning  his  sweetheart. 

104.  $ie  gttftigeit  turn  293eimur. 


First  appeared  in  SBerfe, 

Written  on  January  15,  1813.  2)ie  £itftigen  to  whom  he  referred 
were  his  wife  and  her  intimate  friends.  She  was  particularly  fond  of 
dancing.  The  poem  gives  a  humorously  overdrawn  picture  of  the  so- 
cial activities  of  the  inmates  of  his  house. 

1.  i.    83etoebere,  a  ducal  castle  near  Weimar. 

1.  5.  Possibly  he  means  that  they  look  forward  to  (lit.,  "aim  at") 
Saturday  as  the  end  of  the  week  and  its  cares  (SBtlltne),  or  he  may  be 
thinking  of  Saturday  as  the  day  of  a  ball  and  concert  at  Jena,  as  com- 
mentators commonly  suggest. 

1.  7.    Places  near  Jena. 

1.  8.  On  Monday  and  Wednesday  evening  the  theater  at  Weimar 
was  open,  as  also  on  Saturday. 

1.  12.    Iftftyttfdjdjett,  a  game  of  cards. 


246  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  104,  105. 

1.  13.  JJiiiljruitfl,  emotion ,  because  tragedies  were  chiefly  presented 
on  Wednesday  evening. 

1.  19.    fUttfetg,  instead  of  fihlfeig. 
1.  23.    prater,  a  park  in  Vienna. 

105.  $>er  Xoteittatts. 

First  appeared  in  2Berfe,  1815. 

In  the  spring  of  1813  Goethe  went  to  the  health  resort  Teplitz,  in 
Bohemia,  by  way  of  Leipzig.  On  April  21  he  wrote  to  his  wife  from 
Dresden  and,  in  connection  with  the  events  at  Leipzig  on  April  18, 
said:  2)agegen  fdjrieben  ttriv  311  unferer  £uft  bie  don  ^itguft  erjahtte 
Sotentanjlegenbc  in  toaftUcfyen  Sfteimen  anf.  This  gives  at  once  the 
date  and  source  of  the  poem.  From  what  source  his  son  August  had 
the  legend  is  unknown,  but  similar  legends  have  existed  at  various 
times  and  in  various  countries. 

1.  2.  Sage,  nebcn  einanber  liegenb,  in  9?eil)en.  (von  Loeper.)  This 
is  certainly  an  unusual  use  of  the  word,  and  its  meaning  is  in  dispute. 

1.  7.    ^peittbCtt,  shrouds. 

1.  8.  %b§,  C$,  referring  to  the  dead  who  have  just  arisen  from  their 
graves. 

1.  9.    JHltttbe,  round  dance.  —  ^rttttj,  say,  circle. 

1.  1 6.    Dertratfte,  distorted,  awkward. 

1.  17.  IttWert'S  ttltb  ffaWert'd,  there  is  a  rattling  and  clattering 
(of  bones). 

1.  18.  .^Siil^lcilt,  here  of  obscure  meaning.  Possibly  "  castanets." — 
Jttttt  XaftC,  keeping  time  with  the  dance. 

1.  21.    Sdfeu,  here  the  same  as  £emben. 

I.  24.   The  line  seems  to  mean  nothing  more  than  3)er  Sftonb  fdjeittt 
nocf)  immer  |o  befl. 

II.  45,  46.  £>er  Siirmer  tdfct  ben  ^afen  berunterpngenr  ba  toirb 
e8  Don  bem  eifcrnen  3°^en/  —  ^  ^  oe^  §anb  be«  (eiftg  fatten)  So* 
ten  —  ergriffen,  fo  ba§  jener  andf)  fetnett  Xob  Dor  2tugen  fiel)t.  (Strehlkj^ 
—  ant  Jdttflftcn  nclcbt,  i.e.  the  moment  of  death  is  near. 

1.  48.    GHtt^,  as  the  end  of  the  hour  in  which  spirits  may  walk. 


Sel.  106.]  NOTES.  247 


106.  ®ettn)I)tttf 

First  appeared  in  2Berfe,  1815. 

The  letter  to  his  wife  mentioned  in  connection  with  Sel.  105  also 
gives  information  about  this  selection.  From  it,  as  well  as  from  other 
sources,  we  learn  that  Goethe  wrote  the  poem  on  April  19,  1813,  at 
Oschatz  at  the  time  of  the  noon  rest,  as  he  was  on  his  way  from  Leipzig 
to  Dresden.  It  is  a  parody  of  a  poem  beginning,  3d)  babe  gelacfjt,  nil  It 
lad)'  id)  ltid)t  lltebr,  which  Goethe  had  heard  pretentiously  declaimed  at 
Leipzig  on  the  day  before,  and  against  the  tone  and  thought  of  which 
he  thus  vigorously  protested.  In  his  letter  of  May  3  to  Zelter  he  spoke 
of  ©eJvjoljltt,  gethan,  as  being  a  parody  of  the  most  miserable  of  all 
German  poems. 

We  may  imagine  the  singer  of  Goethe's  lines  to  be  an  elderly  man 
who  has  not  lost  his  appreciation  of  the  pleasures  of  his  youth,  but  still 
continues  to  do  with  increased  enjoyment  what  he  was  wont  to  do  in 
earlier  years. 

1.  i.  erft  redjt,  i.e.  this  is  the  first  time  that  he  has  ever  been  com- 
pletely in  love.  "  I  have  been  in  love  (in  the  past), but  now  I  am  more 
in  love  than  ever  before."  A  similar  idea  is  expressed  in  the  first  line 
of  each  of  the  three  stanzas  following. 

1.  2.  $tted)tf  slave,  to  express  a  greater  degree  of  servitude  than 
£>iener. 

1.  8.    gcl)t  t§  aildj,  though  things  go. 

I.  9.    glaubtgett  Dfbett,  order,  or  brotherhood  of  believers. 

II.  14-16.    The  thought  is  that  youth  takes  no  real  enjoyment  in  din- 
ing;  it  eats  rapidly  and  hurries  off  and  is  thus  to  be  contrasted  with  the 
older  man  of  11.  17,  18. 

1.  24.    btC  fttltgeit,  the  new  wines. 

1.  25.  jjelobt,  sworn  allegiance  to.  For  the  first  time  he  has  to  ad- 
mit that  there  is  something  that  he  can  not  enjoy  so  much  as  in  earlier 
years.  Nevertheless  he  still  gets  some  pleasure  from  the  quiet  dances. 

1.  29.  uttb  .  ,  .  and),  though. 

1.  31.  $>ntttt  frifrf)  mtr  anf£  ttene  !  an  admonition  to  begin  boldly 
anew. 

1.  34.    Stem,  guiding  star. 

1.  36.  tJOtt  t»0Wen,  from  the  beginning.  Bowring  gives  the  sense 
admirably  in  his  translation :  "  And  make  but  the  future  thine  own." 


248  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  107-109. 


107,  $>ie  ttwnbeittbe  ©lorfc. 

First  appeared  in  SSerle,  1815. 

Written  at  Teplitz  on  May  22,  1813.  Riemer  relates  (sMttf)eiIungen, 
II,  576)  that  he  and  Goethe's  son  August  were  fond  of  mystifying  a 
child,  who  seemed  a  little  afraid  of  the  sound  of  the  church  bells  and 
particularly  of  a  large  one,  by  telling  him  that  this  bell  could  come  down 
from  the  belfry  and  waddle  through  the  streets.  August  illustrated  the 
alleged  motion  of  the  bell  by  means  of  an  open  umbrella.  The  oc- 
currence was  related  to  Goethe,  who  seemed  to  pay  no  especial  heed  to 
it  at  the  time,  but  made  use  of  it  some  years  later  for  this  ballad. 

1.2.    fid)  bcquemen,  get  accustomed,  or  willing  to  go. 

1.  6.    ift  btrT3  befoljlcu,  you  are  summoned  (to  church}. 

1.  7.  "And  if  you  don't  get  used  to  going;"  meaning,  however, 
merely,  and  if  you  dorft  go. 

1.  13.  (Worfc  (SHorfe,  the  repetition  here  is  puzzling.  The  simplest 
explanation  is  to  suppose  that  a  comma  should  be  inserted  between  the 
words.  The  boy  speaks  this  and  the  next  line. 

1.  14.    f  arf  ellt,  /£.    (v.  Loeper.) 

1.  19.    lailft,  instead  oftaitft. 

1.  21.  lit  mint  .  .  .  .§llf(f),  makes  a  quick  motion  (to  one  side)  just 
at  the  right  time  (as  the  bell  is  about  to  cover  him). 

1.  28.    tit  ^crfoit,  by  the  bell  in  person. 

108.  QJefunbett. 

First  appeared  in  S&erfe,  1815. 

The  poem  was  written  on  August  26,  1813,  while  Goethe  was  on  a 
journey  from  Weimar  to  Ilmenau,  and  sent  as  a  letter  to  his  wife.  It 
commemorates  their  first  meeting,  which  had  taken  place  a  little  more 
than  twenty-five  years  before.  It  is  one  more  token  of  the  sincere  af- 
fection which  he  felt  for  her. 

1.  2.    fiir  tttid)  tyilt,  along  (without  special  purpose  in  mind). 


109.   Wlciri)  nnb  gleid). 

First  appeared  in  2Berfe,  1815. 


Sel.  109-112.]  NOTES.  249 

A  copy  of  these  lines  was  sent  to  Zelter  in  Goethe's  letter  of  April  22, 
1814.     The  poem  was  probably  written  only  a  short  time  before. 


110;  <3jwt  erHtttgt,  ttw3  fritt)  erftottg. 


First  appeared  in  SBerfe,  1815. 

These  lines  were  placed  as  motto  before  the  lyrics  of  the  edition  of 
1815  and  have  continued  to  hold  that  position  in  subsequent  editions. 
They  were  doubtless  written  in  1814  in  preparation  for  the  new  edition, 
and  express  again  the  thought  that  these  lyrics  are  the  expression  of  the 
experiences  of  the  poet's  own  life.  See  notes  to  Sel.  88. 

111.  mftffer. 

First  appeared  in  SBetfe,   1815. 

Time  of  composition  unknown.  Attacks  upon  Goethe  were,  of  course, 
frequent,  and  the  lines  might  have  been  written  at  many  different  oc- 
casions before  the  year  of  publication.  The  thought  of  the  poem  is  that 
the  attacks  of  such  petty  critics  merely  show  that  the  one  attacked  is 
making  progress  and  that  silence  is  the  best  answer. 

1.  4.   &iflt,  instead  of  &eflt. 

112.  Otott,  ©emitt  unb  293elt. 

In  the  edition  of  1815  Goethe  added  several  new  divisions  for  his  col- 
lected poems,  such  as  ^3arabolifd),  ©ott,  ©emiit  unb  S&elt,  @prid)= 
irjbrtlid),  (S^igvantmattfd).  In  part  these  new  divisions  included  poems 
which  had  appeared  under  other  headings  in  previous  editions.  For 
example,  Iparabolifd),  to  which  Staffer  (Sel.  in)  belonged,  also 
included  SHfettant  Utlb  &ritifer  (Sel.  i6),and  other  examples  will 
be  cited  later  in  these  notes.  Nevertheless  most  of  the  poems  included 
in  these  divisions  had  not  been  published  before  the  edition  of  1815. 
Of  some  first  published  then  it  is  positively  known  that  they  are  of  older 
origin,  a  few  going  back  to  his  youthful  days,  but  of  the  larger  part  of 
them  the  time  at  which  they  were  written  is  unknown.  It  is  fair  to  as- 
sume that  most  of  these  had  originated  in  the  years  immediately  pre- 
ceding their  publication  in  the  edition  of  1815.  These  statements  apply 
to  the  selections  from  ®0tt,  ©emitt  linb  SBelt,  given  here. 


250  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  112-113. 

1.  i.  A  plea  for  religious  tolerance,  Wtlfct  2$rttet  being  the  beginning 
of  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  the  Reformed  church,  $ater  ttttfer  among  the 
Lutherans  and  others. 

1.  5.    The  two  sources  of  all  our  knowledge,  nature  and  religion 

(Uberltefertttttj),    9iatnr  stands  in  apposition  to  $Iur;  SBorn  is  in 

the  predicate,  the  two  subjects  of  the  second  half  being  UbcrlicfCttUtft 

and  QJnabc. 

1.  9.  The  gods,  the  creators  of  the  universe,  give  us  no  answer  to 
our  questions,  Vote,  frann,  tt>0.  We  can  only  know  what  exists  (b<J$ 
293eil),  however  much  we  may  speculate  about  the  causes  and  manner 
of  its  origin. 

113.  @ 


This  was  also  one  of  the  new  divisions  of  the  edition  of  1815.  See 
notes  to  Sel.  112. 

Goethe's  growing  tendency  to  the  proverb,  the  epigram,  etc.,  has 
already  been  mentioned  in  the  notes  to  the  Venetian  epigrams  (Sel.  71). 
As  his  lyric  power  waned  with  his  increasing  years,  the  didactic  element 
in  him  came  more  and  more  into  evidence.  As  a  result  the  edition  of 
1815,  and  still  more  that  of  1827,  brings  a  very  large  proportion  of  such 
poems.  The  lessening  of  the  undue  influence  of  Greek  and  Latin 
literature  upon  him  and  his  return  to  things  German  and  more  modern 
is  nowhere  more  strikingly  shown  than  in  these  later  proverbs,  epigrams, 
etc.  (In  this  connection  see  notes  to  Sel.  14,  22,  60,  71.)  For  these 
brief  poems  Goethe  drew  not  only  on  the  rich  stores  of  his  own  ex- 
perience and  of  the  sententious  sayings  which  he  had  heard  uttered  by 
others,  but  he  also  made  large  use  of  collections  of  a  similar  character, 
a  long  list  of  which  was  compiled  by  von  Loeper. 

1.  i.  A  greeting  for  the  new  year,  possibly  intended  for  the  begin- 
ning of  1814,  as  von  Loeper  suggests.  The  thought  of  the  last  two 
lines  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  familiar  saying  concerning  fighting  the 
devil  with  fire. 

1.  14.    tnarT,  supply  alS.     He  means,  than  to  be. 

1.  15.  The  impossibility  of  getting  rid  of  all  petty  annoyances.  See 
also  Sel.  87. 

1.  21.    Good  fortune  is  the  hardest  of  all  things  to  bear. 

1.  44.    geloffett,  instead  of  getoufen.     The  study  of  Goethe's  life 


Sel.  113-115.]  NOTES .  251 

confirms  amply  the  truth  of  his  own  words  here  concerning  his  freedom 
from  envy. 

114.  (gjrigrammattfdj. 

This  was  also  one  of  the  new  divisions  of  the  edition  of  1815.  See 
notes  to  Sel.  112. 

In  the  division  (Styigramttiatifdf)  were  also  included  in  the  edition  of 
1815  Sine  311  ^obtenj  and  (SeniaUfdj  Sretben  (Sel.  20  and  63). 

1.  i.  This  epigram  was  evidently  called  forth  by  the  contemplation 
of  his  own  works  and  by  the  thought  that  his  achievements  had  fallen 
short  of  his  ideals. 

1.  3.  SiefcettfarfjCtt,  belongings,  baggage,  in  a  deprecatory  sense, 
meaning  his  literary  work,  of  course. 

1.  19.  A  longer  version  of  this  epigram  appeared  in  1830  in  the 
periodical  dfyaoS,  with  the  date  October  25,  1828. 

1.  31.  A  copy  of  this  epigram  was  inclosed  in  Goethe's  letter  to 
Zelter  of  February  23,  1814. 

1.  37.  A  copy 'was  sent  to  Zelter  on  April  22,  1814.  The  epigram 
expresses  the  thought  that  the  demand  for  equality  among  men  is  really 
due  to  envy. 

1.  39.  9£cibl)flrt,  here  used  as  a  proper  name,  the  typical  envious 
man. 

115.  ftiinf  rmbere. 

In  1819  Goethe  published  his  2Beft»5jttt(fjer  2)it>att.  (The  word 
"•Sfoatt  means,  as  used  here,  a  collection  of  poems  by  one  author.)  It 
was  included,  with  some  additions  and  changes,  in  the  collected  edition 
of  his  works  in  1827,  of  which  it  formed  the  fifth  volume.  Even  at  its 
first  appearance  in  1819,  however,  it  had  for  the  most  part  not  come 
fresh  from  the  poet's  workshop,  as  the  great  body  of  the  poems  making 
up  the  collection  had  been  written  in  the  years  1814  and  1815  and 
owed  their  origin  to  both  remoter  and  nearer  impulses. 

Goethe  made  his  first  acquaintance  with  Oriental  literature  in  his  boy- 
hood, when  he  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  German  Bible  and 
undertook  the  study  of  Hebrew.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  residence  in 
Frankfort  he  translated  the  Song  of  Solomon  into  German.  When 
he  was  working  upon  his  drama  Mahomet,  he  busied  himself  also  with 


252  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  115. 

the  Koran,  and  thus  became  acquainted  in  some  measure  with  the  spirit 
and  contents  of  Arabic  literature.  Some  traces  of  his  interest  in  the 
Orient  are  to  be  found  in  his  earlier  years  at  Weimar.  Later  a  German 
translation  of  one  of  Kalidasa's  dramas  called  forth  the  little  poem  to 
Sakuntala.  The  prologue  of  this  play  has  apparently  left  its  mark  on 
the  $orfoiet  to  his  gaujl. 

The  impression  made  upon  him  by  these  literatures  of  the  Orient  was, 
however,  not  profound  until  the  year  1814.  Then  he  became  fascinated 
by  the  poems  of  the  Persian  Shams  ed-din  Mohammed  Hafiz  (in  Ger- 
man spelling  Hafis),  which  he  read  in  the  translation  of  Joseph  von 
Hammer.  The  time  and  circumstances  were  favorable,  and  Goethe 
greeted  the  Persian  poet  as  he  had  many  years  before  greeted  Shake- 
speare and  Homer. 

This  interest  in  the  Orient  was  by  no  means  confined  to  Goethe. 
It  was  in  the  air,  so  to  speak,  and  many  others  felt  the  impulse  as  well 
as  he.  With  him,  however,  the  interest  so  increased  that  he  felt  him- 
self driven  to  poetic  production  as  a  sort  of  self-defense.  There  was 
much  also  in  the  political  and  social  conditions  of  his  fatherland  and  in 
his  own  personal  relations,  which  made  this  distant-lying  theme  welcome 
to  him.  He  himself  says  in  his  2frtnafen  under  the  year  1815  :  @d)0n 
im  Dorigen  3afyre  roaren  mir  bie  fammtlidjen  ©ebtd)te  £afi§  in  bet 
Don  £>ammer'fd)en  Uberfefcung  jugefommen,  unb  roenn  id)  friiljer  ben 
bier  nnb  ba  in  3eitfd)riften  iiberfefct  mitgeteitten  eiujetuen  ©tiicfen 
biefeS  berrlidjen  s$oeten  nid)t§  abgenrinnen  fonnte,  fo  rotrften  fie  bod) 
jefct  gufammen  befto  lebfyafter  auf  mid)  etn,  unb  id)  mufjte  mid)  bagegen 
probnctit)  toerbalten,  roeit  id)  fonft  Dor  ber  madjtigen  (Srfdjeinung  uid)t 
fyatte  beftefyeu  fbnnen.  35ie  (Stnroirfung  roar  ju  lebfyaft,  bie  beutfdje 
Uberfet^ung  lag  Dor,  unb  id)  mufjte  atjo  fjter  SBeranlaffiing  ftnben  ju 
eigener  Seitnafyme.  2UIe§,  roa§  bent  @toff  unb  bem  @inne  nat^  bei 
mtr  2tt)nltc!)e8  berroa&rt  unb  gebegt  roorben,  tt)at  fid^  Ijertior,  unb  bte8 
mit  um  fo  me^r  £efttg!ett,  a(8  icft  ^od)ft  notig  fuj)Ite  mid)  au«  ber 
rotrHtcbeu  Sett,  bie  fid)  felbft  offenbar  unb  im  fttllen  bebro^te,  in 
eine  ibeette  ju  pd)ten,  an  roetc&er  bergniigttd)en  Xeit  ^u  nebmen 
meiner  £uft,  gal)ig!eit  unb  SBitten  iiberfaffen  roar. 

Early  in  June,  1814,  we  find  him  busied  with  poems  which  are  now 
a  part  of  the  £)tt>an.  By  August  29  their  number  had  reached  thirty. 
On  January  II,  1815,  Goethe  reported  to  Knebel  that  he  had  been 


Sel.  115.]  NOTES.  253 

spending  most  of  his  time  of  late  in  the  Orient.  On  May  30,  1815,  he 
made  a  list  of  one  hundred  poems  at  Wiesbaden  (the  so-called  2Bie8= 
Bdber  Dfegtfter)  and  could  report  that  there  were  about  as  many  more 
smaller  ones. 

The  summer  of  1815  brought  that  feminine  influence  which  once 
more  showed  itself  so  powerful  in  Goethe's  productive  activity.  He 
spent  about  six  weeks  in  August  and  September  at  the  country  seat 
(known  as  trie  ©erbermiil)te) ;  near  Frankfort,  of  his  old  friend  von 
Willemer,  a  rich  banker.  Willemer  had  in  the  preceding  autumn  taken 
as  his  third  wife  a  young  woman  about  thirty  years  of  age.  She  had 
been  for  a  short  time  upon  the  stage  and  had  many  social  and  musical 
gifts.  Goethe  had  met  her  in  the  preceding  summer,  but  the  closer 
intimacy  of  life  in  the  country  home  gave  rise  to  a  relationship  between 
poet  and  hostess,  which  profoundly  influenced  the  2)tdaiU 

It  is  true  that  love  poems  had  already  been  written  for  the  £)idcm  and 
that  Hatem  and  Suleika  had  been  chosen  in  the  preceding  May  as  the 
names  of  the  lovers;  nevertheless,  the  real  Hatem  is  Goethe  and  the 
real  Suleika,  Marianne  Willemer.  The  rejuvenation  of  Goethe  in  the 
weeks  of  this  relationship  was  something  wonderful.  Of  a  love  affair, 
in  the  ordinary  acceptance  of  the  words,  it  is  not  necessary  to  think,  as 
Goethe  doubtless  put  into  the  poems  an  element  of  passion  which  did 
not  exist  in  the  actual  relation.  Nevertheless  the  inspiration  came  from 
Marianne.  She  was  a  woman  of  fine  taste  and  poetic  gifts.  She  was 
not  only  able  to  appreciate  Goethe's  achievements  but  also  to  inspire 
him  by  her  own  example,  as  two  or  three  of  the  best  poems  of  the 
SH&CUl  were  certainly  written  by  her,  and  others  may  have  been. 

The  greater  part  of  the  2)ittan  belongs  to  the  years  1814  and  1815. 
The  division  into  books  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  1815.  The  sub- 
sequent years,  before  and  after  the  publication  of  the  collection,  called 
into  being  only  about  four  score  of  the  poems  as  over  against  two 
hundred  in  the  years  of  chief  activity.  Preceding  and  accompanying 
the  writing  of  the  poems  was  much  of  reading  of  Oriental  literature  and 
of  books  of  history  and  travel  pertaining  to  the  Orient.  It  took  from 
March,  1818,  to  August,  1819,  to  run  tne  S)it)0n  through  the  press  and 
present  it  to  the  public. 

The  5)ittan  can  not  in  all  fairness  be  considered  as  particularly 
Oriental  in  character.  It  is  rather  Occidental  in  form  and  poetic  color- 


254  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  115,  11(5. 

ing  and  still  more  in  thought.  Though  the  poet  sought  refuge  in  the 
Orient,  his  heart  and  mind  were  really  more  German  than  in  the  days 
of  his  flight  to  Italy.  The  SHDdlt  has  had  numerous  imitators  and 
successors.  Other  poets  have  been  more  successful  than  Goethe  in 
imitating  the  forms  of  Oriental  poetry,  but  none  has  equalled  him  in 
the  other  respects  which  make  poetry  worth  while.  Nevertheless  the 
2)tt)on  has  generally  been  regarded  as  among  the  least  successful  of 
Goethe's  lyric  achievements.  His  increased  age  had  perhaps  its  effect 
in  making  the  poems  seem  cold  as  compared  with  the  fire  of  his  best 
lyrics :  still  more  the  feeling  of  the  reader  that  he  is  dealing  with  some- 
thing artificial,  something  for  the  most  part  made  and  not  lived. 

^iinf  anbcre  is  found  in  the  fourth  book  of  the  3)iuan  and  was  writ- 
ten on  December  16,  1814.  The  poem  which  precedes  it  there  is  en- 
titled ^iinf  2>inge ;  hence  anberc  in  the  title  to  these  lines. 

116.  £egire. 

From  the  first  book  of  2Befl*bftUd)er  2)irjart  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

A  dated  manuscript  in  Goethe's  handwriting  shows  that  this  poem 
was  written  on  December  24,  1814.  It  stands  at  the  beginning  of  the 
first  book  and  was  evidently  intended  as  an  introduction  to  the  whole 
collection.  It  treats  the  poet's  excursion  into  the  Orient  as  a  flight  (he- 
gira)  from  the  rude  and  painful  actualities  of  his  European  surroundings 
into  the  purer  and  more  restful  life  of  the  East. 

11.  i,  2.  Goethe  here  refers  to  the  tremendous  political  and  dynastic 
upheaval  caused  directly  and  indirectly  by  Napoleon.  His  own  appar- 
ently unsympathetic  and  unpatriotic  attitude  in  all  the  years  of  Germa- 
ny's political  distress  has  called  forth  endless  comment  and  explanation. 

1.  6.  (Jfytfer,  according  to  Mohammedan  legend  a  vizier  and  proph- 
et who  partook  of  the  waters  of  the  fountain  of  perpetual  youth. 

1.  14.  $)tettft,  referring  to  the  worship  of  other  -  gods  than  their 
own. 

1.  22.    9Jl0fd)tt$,  musk. 

1.  34.    5lttt&ra,  kind  of  sweet  perfume. 

1.  36.    $itH,  houri  (nymph  of  Paradise). 


Sel.  117-120.]  NOTES.  255 

117.  ©tttlabuttg. 

From  the  eighth  book  of  2Beft=bftUd)er  2>iDatt  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

This  is  the  opening  poem  of  book  @llletfa  and  was  written  on  De- 
cember 31,  1814.  As  von  Loeper  suggests,  it  seems  to  be  an  invitation 
to  join  the  poet  in  his  retirement  from  the  world  and  its  pleasures, 
which  he  wins  for  himself,  however,  by  this  very  act  of  renunciation. 
The  thought  that  renunciation  and  self-sacrifice  bring  us  to  our  highest 
good  finds  frequent  expression  in  Goethe's  writings. 

I.  7.    geborgett,  provided  for,  safe,  secure. 

II.  8-12.    He  means  that  for  one  thus  made  secure  (jjeborgCtt)   time 
can  neither  give  nor  take  anything  away,  for  love  is  all.  —  e£    of  1.   12 
refers  back  to  ftHer(ieftfte£. 

118.  3ftT3  mogUrf),  bafe  irf),  Sie&djett,  bid)  lofc  ! 

From  the  eighth  book  of  28eft=oftUrf)er  SHocm;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

Conjecturally  assigned  to  a  date  before  January  26,  1815,  as  the  man- 
uscript of  the  poem  seems  to  suggest  that  it  belonged  to  the  period  of 
the  sixth  book,  none  of  the  poems  of  which  seem  to  be  of  later  origin 
than  the  date  mentioned. 

119.  $te  2Belt  bureaus  ift  Heftttdj  anpf^auen. 

From  the  eighth  book  of  28efi*5fiHd)er  2)iDan;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 
The  manuscript  of  the  poem  is  dated  February  7,  1815. 


120.  jfrmm,  Siebrffett,  fomm  !  umtmnbe  mtr  bie 

From  the  eighth  book  of  2Beft*5ftUd)er  SHrjCW  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

Manuscript  dated  February  17,  1815.  Goethe's  birthday  was  cele- 
brated by  the  circle  of  friends  at  Willemer's  house  on  August  28,  1815, 
and  Marianne  gave  him,  with  evident  allusion  to  this  poem,  a  turban  of 
muslin  wreathed  with  laurel.  The  lover  in  the  poem  feels  that  such  a 
head-covering  wrapped  about  with  muslin  by  his  beloved  one  makes 
him  the  equal  of  any  monarch,  the  headdress  being  the  symbol  of  au- 
thority. 


256  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  120-123. 

1.  2.    £ttHiettb,  turban. 

I.  3.   51&&H3,    meaning  Abbas  II.  of  Persia,  of  whom  Goethe  says 
in  his  'ftoten  unb  ^bhanbtungen  311  befferem  SerftanbniS  be§  2Beft=bft* 
Urfjen  S)it)an8,  that,  like  Peter  and  Frederick,  he  deserved  the  title  of 
The  Great. 

II.  5-8.    Referring  to  Alexander  the  Great  and  his  successors  as  rul- 
ers of  Persia. 

1.  10.    "JiniltC  getyt  tt)0l)l  tyitt,  the  name  is  of  no  consequence. 
1.  15.    gelfiltftg,  i.e.,  I  know  well   what  it  is   (inasmuch  as  I  now 
possecs  it  through  your  loving  glances). 

121.  (Sin  tfatfer  tyatte  jmci  ^affiere. 


From  the  tenth  book  of  2Beft=ofttid)er  2)it)att  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 
Manuscript  dated  February  25,  1815. 

122,  ©eftfinbttiS. 

From  the  first  book  of  2Bejl«5f!Iid)er  Sittan  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

These  lines  were  written  at  Frankfort  on  May  27,  1815,  and  were 
first  published  in  2)a§  Xajdjenbucf)  fiir  S)amcn  auf  bag  3>al)r  1817  with 
the  title  2)rci  ^rogen. 

1.  8.  ©C^cffcl,  evidently  a  Biblical  allusion,  as  in  Matthew  v,  15: 
"Neither  do  men  light  a  candle  and  put  it  under  a  bushel." 

123.  2Binf. 

From  the  second  book  of  2Beft=5ftUcf)er  £)it)Cirt  ;  see  notes  to  Sel. 

"5« 

As  it  is  found  in  the  so-called  2BieSbaber  Stegijler,  it  must  have  been 
written  before  May  30,  1815. 

1.  i.  frtjdtc,  the  poem  just  preceding  in  the  2)tDan  is  directed  against 
the  critics  of  Hafiz. 

1.  2.    ttirfjt  cittfad)  QCltC,  has  not  merely  one  meaning. 


Sel.  124-127.]  NOTES.  257 


124.  993cr  tuirb  toon  ber  SBelt  toerlmtgett. 

From  the  fifth  book  of  2Beft*oftlidjer  3>i&an;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

Also  in  2Bte8baber  Stegtfter  and  written  before  May  30,  1815. 

1.  3.    Supply  bte.    (von  Loeper.) 

1.  4.  ben  Xttg  be3  £ttge3  Derfattlttet,  misses  the  day  of  days  (i.e. 
the  most  important  day).  An  older  rough  draft  of  the  poem  has  ben 
jdjonften  £ag. 

125.  $ie  $erle,  bie  ber  9Jhtfd)el  etttratttt. 


From  the  tenth  book  of  2Beft*oftUdE)er  2>ittan  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

Also  in  SBieSbabcr.  Sftegifter  and  written  before  May  30,  1815.  Its 
theme  is  the  sacrifice  of  the  individual  for  the  good  of  the  many. 

1.  7.  $att  fur  $aK,  toie  e§  gerabe  fommt,  giinftig  ober  ungihtftig. 
(Duntzer.) 

1.  8.  geliittet,  instead  of  gefittet. 

1.  12.    @^tmr,  string  (of  pearls}. 

126.  patent. 

From  the  eighth  book  of  2Beft*bftUcf)er  S)iDan;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

Manuscript  dated  September  12,  1815.  The  Weimar  edition  states: 
3te«  altefle  fitter  an  Marianne  gertd)tete  ©ebtc^t.  It  called  forth  in 
reply  Marianne's  poem  @uleifa,  which  comes  immediately  after  it 
in  the  Divan  and  of  which  the  first  stanza  runs  : 

.£oct)beglurft  in  betner  Ciebe 
@<&elt'  ic^  nicfjt  ©clegentjctt  ; 
SBarb  ftc  and)  an  bir  sum  3)icbc, 
2Bte  mi(^  foli^  ein  9laub  erfrcut  ! 

For  the  names  Hatem  and  Suleika  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

1.  10.  $arfttttfeff  carbuncle,  the  precious  stone,  giving  forth  a 
gleam  at  night  and  therefore  applied  to  the  light  of  her  eyes. 

127.   MH  ttoUcn  SBttfrtjclsiueiflen. 

From  the  eighth  book  of  2Beft=ofttic^er  2)iban  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 
Manuscript  dated  September  24,  1815.     This  is  another  of  the  poems 


258  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  127-129. 

to  Marianne.  It  was  called  forth  by  the  sight  of  the  chestnuts  in  the 
castle  grounds  at  Heidelberg,  where  Goethe  had  been  writing  poeYns 
that  morning.  He  had  left  Frankfort  on  September  18,  and  arrived  in 
Heidelberg  two  days  later.  The  Willemers  joined  him  here  on  the  23d 
and  left  on  the  26th.  The  brief  visit  was  full  of  significance  for  Goethe, 
and  this  poem  is  undoubtedly  a  reflection  of  the  joy  of  meeting  Mari- 
anne again. 

128.  2Bo  man  mtr  QhttS  erseigt, 


These  lines,  which  were  originally  intended  for  Goethe's  3)tt)an,  were 
first  published  by  von  Loeper  in  1868.  Since  then  the  rough  draft  of 
the  first  version  has  been  discovered  and  reprinted  by  Burdach  in  Vol. 
XI  of  ©oethe=3al)l'bnd).  This  first  version  was  seemingly  written  at 
Meiningen  on  October  10,  1815,  as  Goethe  was  on  his  way  from  Hei- 
delberg to  Weimar.  The  lines,  as  given  here  in  the  revised  version,  are 
of  a  later  date,  as  yet  unknown.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  poet 
undertook  the  revision  in  view  of  the  publication  of  the  £)it>an,  and 
then,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  omitted  it  from  the  collection.  In 
both  versions,  but  perhaps  even  more  in  the  first,  it  shows  the  remark- 
able rejuvenation  that  had  taken  place  in  Goethe  in  the  SHticm  period 
(Burdach).  In  form  the  poem  is  an  imitation  of  the  gazel,  an  Oriental 
meter,  in  which  one  of  the  rimes  is  constant. 

1.  2.  (Silfer,  the  wine  of  1811  had  been  particularly  abundant  and 
good,  and  Goethe  was  meeting  it  everywhere. 

1.  14.   friiiippclnb,  bdjaglidj  trinfenb.  (Diintzer.) 

129.  $eite  garftige  $ettel 

From  the  ninth  book  of  SSeft=oftIidE)er  2)irjcm  ;  see  notes  to  Sel.  115. 

Manuscript  dated  October  25,  1815;  written  therefore  after  the  re- 
turn to  Weimar.  The  world  had  robbed  him  of  faith  and  hope,  so  the 
poem  runs,  and  to  save  his  remaining  treasure,  love,  he  divided  it  be- 
tween Suleika  and  Saki,  and  thereby  regained  all  that  he  had  lost. 

1.  9.    rift  .  .  .  ait3,  broke  away. 

1.  14.  (Sttfi,  name  of  the  waiter-boy  in  the  2)it>on,  of  whom  von 
Loeper  says:  £)er  jugleid)  at8  bienenber  ^age  itnb  al$  Derehrenber 
be8  3)id)ter8  311  bcnfcn  ift. 


Sel.  129,  130.]  NOTES.  259 

11.  19-23.  Belief  in  her  (Ujre  could,  however,  just  as  well  mean 
their)  love  is  the  return  of  faith,  and  the  wine  which  the  boy  gives  him, 
glorifies  the  present,  so  that  there  is  no  need  of  hope. 

130.  •Sijiitbohtnt. 

First  appeared  in  1816  in  ©efcinge  fiir  ^retmaureiv  jum  ©ebraudj 
alter  beittfcfjen  £ogen  ;  taken  into  28erfe,  1827. 

Goethe  became  a  Mason  in  June,  1780,  and  took  at  intervals  a  very 
active  interest  in  the  order.  Under  the  title  £oge  he  published  in  the 
edition  of  1827  several  poems  called  forth  by  his  connection  with 
Masonry,  the  number  of  which  was  later  increased  by  two.  According 
to  Diintzer,  Goethe's  son  August  was  taken  into  the  order  on  December 
5,  1815,  and  the  poem  was  written  on  the  preceding  day  in  anticipation 
of  that  event.  The  tone  of  ©tjmbolum  is  mystical,  several  passages  are 
obscure,  and  one  or  two  possibly  defy  interpretation. 

It  was  one  of  Carlyle's  favorite  poems.  He  gives  a  translation  of  it 
at  the  close  of  the  third  book  of  his  Past  and  Present  and  says  of  it : 
"  To  me,  finding  it  devout  yet  wholly  credible  and  veritable,  full  of  piety 
yet  free  of  cant;  tb  me,  joyfully  finding  much  in  it,  and  joyfully  missing 
so  much  in  it,  this  little  snatch  of  music,  by  the  greatest  German  Man, 
sounds  like  a  stanza  in  the  grand  Road-Song  9S&  Marching- Song 'of  our 
great  Teutonic  Kindred,  wending,  wending,  valiant  and  victorious, 
through  the  undiscovered  Deeps  of  Time  !  " 

I.I.    The  Mason's  ways.      (Carlyle.) 

1.  8.  As  punctuated  here,  in  agreement  with  the  Weimar  edition, 
frf)ritttt>ei£  must  modify  brtltgClt  tiortvfirtS,  we  press  boldly  on,  although 
to  our  glance,  merely  step  by  step.  Most  editions  have  no  point  after 
(Stticfe  and  a  semicolon  after  iBUrfe,  "the  future  hides,  step  by  step 
from  our  sight,  sorrow  and  happiness." 

1.  ii.  Uttb  fdjttJCr  .  .  .  (£Ijrfttrd)tf  what  is  meant  here  is  not  clear. 
Diintzer  says  with  reference  to  the  whole  stanza :  £>ie  brttte  @tropf)e 
bejieljt  ftd)  auf  ba§  3enfeit«,  ba§  eine  Spiifle  itttS  toerbirgt,  ttelcfye  (§l)r* 
furrfjt  erregt,  ba  md)t8  un§  bariiber  aufftdrt ;  Me  ettrigen  @terne  fcer= 
fiinben  un«  itidjts  bom  3enfeit§,  unb  bte  ©raber  jeugen  nur  toon  ber 
SBergangttC^feit.  Probably  no  better  explanation  can  be  given,  but 
how  Diintzer  comes  to  it  is  not  very  evident. 


260  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  130-133. 


1.  1  6.    fie  apparently  refers  to 

1.  19.  umnbdnbe  @d)rwer,  toectyfetnbe  @d)auer,  @(i)ouer  liber 
@d)cmer.  (Diintzer.)  The  thought  of  the  life  beyond  the  grave  causes 
even  the  bravest  to  be  filled  with  dread  and  solemn  feelings. 

1.  21.  In  the  last  two  stanzas  the  voices  of  the  departed  admonish  to 
activity  and  promise  reward  in  the  hereafter. 

1.  28.    Jttit  $ittte,  abundantly. 

131.   $>ett  6.  Stttti  1816, 

First  appeared  in  SBerfe,  1827. 

Goethe's  wife  died  on  the  day  given  in  the  title,  and  the  lines  refer 
to  that  event.  This  is  one  more  proof  of  Goethe's  very  genuine  love 
for  her. 

132.  Kit  fllcjrniibcr  toon  .fritmbolbt. 

First  appeared  in  9?ad)g  eta  ff  ene  2Ber!e,  1833. 

Humboldt  had  sent  to  Goethe  his  work,  Uber  bie  33ertfiei(ung  ber 
^flanjengeftaften  ailf  bent  (Srbbobett.  (Strehlke.)  It  must  have  arrived 
after  Christiane's  death.  These  lines  are  Goethe's  reply. 

133.  23aflabe. 

First  appeared  in  Goethe's  periodical,  Uber  $ltnft  imb  2UtertIjum, 
1820;  taken  into  SBerfe,  1827. 

The  title  here  given  is  Goethe's  own;  most  editions  add  to  it  the 
words,  tjom  oertriebenen  uub  suriicffefyrenben  ®rafen.  This  is  one  of 
the  themes  which  Goethe,  according  to  his  own  statement  in  the  essay 
SBebeutenbe  gorbernig  burd)  etn  einjigeg  geiftreidjeS  SSort,  had  carried 
about  with  him  for  many  years.  In  1821  Goethe  printed  in  Uber  $lillft 
unb  2lltertl)um  an  interpretation  of  the  poem  and  explained  that  an  old 
English  ballad  had  given  him  his  interest  in  the  theme  many  years  be- 
fore. It  is  believed  that  he  meant  The  Beggar's  Daughter  of  Bednall- 
Green,  as  given  in  Percy's  Reliques  of  Ancient  English  Poetry.  Goethe's 
diary  shows  that  he  began  the  ballad  in  the  autumn  of  1813,  completing 
the  first  eighty-one  lines  in  November.  In  1814  he  planned  to  use  the 
theme  for  an  opera,  but  never  carried  out  his  purpose.  The  last  two 


Sel.  133.]  NOTES.  261 

stanzas  were  not  completed  till  near  the  end  of  1816,  as  the  correspon- 
dence with  Zelter  shows.  He  said  to  Eckermann  in  1828  (©efprfidjc, 
II,  31) :  3d)  &abe  bte  23attabe  lange  nut  mtr  Ijeriimgetragen, . . .  efje  id) 
jte  mcberfdjrieb ;  e§  fterfen  3abre  rjon  9?ad)benfen  bartn,  unb  id)  fyabe  fie 
brei=  bi8  triermat  rjerfud)t,  ebe  ftc  mir  fo  getingeu  tooflte,  trite  fie  je£t  ift. 

i.   The  two  children  invite  the  old  musician  to  enter  the  castle. 

5-  gangett,  instead  of  gegangen. 

10.  Here  the  old  man  begins  his  song. 

11.  cr,  i.e.  ber  ©raf  of  1.  13. 

.21.  ©finger,  also  ber  ©raf,  now  become  wandering  musician  and 
beggar. 

1.  32.  Lit.,  "he  does  not  know  how  to  act  because  of  his  joy,"  i.e. 
his  joy  was  boundless. 

1.  44.  ftltf  grimettbem  $to^,  on  the  green,  probably  a  reminiscence 
of  the  English  ballad. 

1.  51.  Through  the  word  iff)  the  musician  reveals  himself  as  the 
grandfather  of  the  children.  Notice  the  same  artifice  in  1.  44  of  £Ut8 
^Barf  (Sel.  30). 

1.  59.  Ctferttcn  Srfjcrgctt,  addressed  to  the  men  whom  he  commands 
to  arrest  the  musician. 

1.  66.  $cr  fiirftltrfje  ©tofee,  i.e.  the  father  of  the  children,  who  for 
the  moment  controls  his  rage,  only  to  have  it  break  out  the  more 
violently. 

1.  71.    ®CfdjieI)t  ,  .  .  JRerfjt,  serves  me  just  right. 

1.  75-  XobCtt  ttnb  UBiitett,  i-e.  of  the  son-in-law,  who  speaks  the 
next  lines. 

1.  77.    Explained  by  1.  80. 

1.  82.  Here  the  old  man  begins  to  speak  to  the  mother  and  the 
children,  being  $ater  of  the  one  and  2Ujn  0-  84)  of  the  others. 

1.  89.  He  has  with  him  documents  signed  with  the  seal  of  the  king 
(Stegeltt),  which  attest  his  right  to  the  castle. 

1.  91.  We  are  to  understand  that  the  rightful  king  had  been  driven 
out  of  the  kingdom  many  years  before,  and  that  the  old  man,  being  one 
of  his  supporters,  had  assumed  the  guise  of  a  minstrel  and  beggar  to 
protect  himself.  Now  the  king  returns. 

1.  93-  ©iejjel,  before  he  fled  from  his  castle  he  had  hidden  his 
treasures.  Now  he  reveals  their  hiding  place. 


262  GOETHES     GEDICIITE.  [Sel.  134-136. 

134.  Urn  9Kitte«tarf}t. 

First  appeared  in  Zelter's  Sfteite  Sieberfammtling,  1821;  taken  into 
SBerfe,  1827. 

Written  on  February  13,  1818.  Concerning  its  origin  Goethe  himself 
remarked  in  Uber  $unft  llllb  3Uterthum  in  1822  (Vol.  Ill,  3,  p.  171)  : 
2J?cm  taffe  midj  befennen,  bafc  id),  mit  bent  @d)tag  3J2itternad)t,  tm 
beflften  SBoflmonb  auS  guter,  maftig  aufgeregter,  geiftreid)  annuitiger 
©efeflfdjaft  jnriicffehrenb,  ba8  ©ebid)t  au8  bem  ©tegreife  nieberfdjrieb, 
obne  aud)  nur  friifjer  cine  fining  batoon  gebabt  gu  l^abcn.  The  poem 
remained  a  favorite  with  Goethe.  In  1826  he  remarked  to  Eckermann 
(®ef^rad)C  I,  197)  :  2)a§  £teb  ,,Um  Sftitternadjt"  ^at  jetn  33erbattniS 
311  mtr  ntc^t  berloren,  cS  ift  t»on  mir  nod^  ciu  lebenbtger  Sett  unb  lebt 
mit  mir  fort.  The  poem  contrasts  his  feelings  as  boy,  as  youthful 
lover,  and  as  elderly  man. 

1.  12.  ut3  $infteref  in  ba«  2)nnfel  jetner  @cde.  (Duntzer.) 


135.  «n  Ofr&itlein  t>ott 


First  appeared  in  the  periodical  dljaoS,  1830;  not  taken  into  Goethe's 
works  until  comparatively  recent  editions. 

Goethe  had  had  in  his  hands  for  some  time  the  album  of  Schiller's 
youngest  daughter  without  making  the  desired  entry.  (Duntzer.)  This 
explains  the  allusion  in  the  first  stanza.  The  whole  serves  as  one 
more  example  of  the  numerous  poems  of  occasion  with  Goethe  was 
called  upon  to  write,  especially  in  his  later  years.  (See  notes  to  Sel. 
loo.)  The  demands  upon  him  were  enormous,  and  in  the  case  of  such 
poems,  more  than  any  others,  it  is  evident  that  Goethe  was  often  com- 
pelled to  take  to  heart  his  own  lines  in  the  35orfpiel  to 

®ebt  itjr  cud)  ctnmat  fur 
©o  fommanbiert  bte 


136. 

From  the  twelfth  book  of  SSefkoftUdjer  2>it)an;  see  notes  to  Sel.  1  15. 
First  printed  in  the  announcement  of  the  9lu8gabe  letter  §CUtb,  in 
March,  1826,  and  then  taken  into  this  edition  in  1827. 


Sel.  136-139.]  NOTES.  263 

The  manuscript  is  dated  Htff,  April  24,  1820.  Goethe  was  then  on 
his  way  to  Karlsbad.  The  idea  of  the  poem  seems  to  have  been  sug- 
gested by  Moore's  Lalla  Rookh.  Instead  of  an  angel,  as  called  for  by 
Mohammedan  faith,  Goethe  places  a  houri  (a  nymph  of  Paradise)  as 
watcher  before  the  entrance.  She  sees  no  signs  of  wounds  and  is 
therefore  unwilling  to  admit  the  poet.  The  first  stanza  of  his  reply 
might  easily  stand  as  a  fit  motto  for  the  whole  of  Goethe's  life,  (von 
Loeper) . 

1.  13.    not  so  many  trifling  formalities  ! 

1.  29.  (Seriltgent,  i.  e.  he  is  not  the  least  worthy  among  those  who 
enter  Paradise. 

137.  fiuft  uub  dual. 

First  appeared  in  liber  $iinft  unb  5lltcrt&ltm,  1820;  taken  into 
SSerfe,  1827. 

Evidently  of  much  earlier  origin  than  the  date  of  publication,  al- 
though nothing  is  known  positively  of  the  time  at  which  it  was  written. 
It  was  probably  among  the  old  poems  which  Goethe's  diary  reports  as 
being  revised  on  December  24,  1815. 

1.  3-    falfdjC  ®afce,  referring  to  the  bait. 

1.  19.    tttidj  gitrtett,  gird  myself  (and  make  ready  to  go). 

1.  20.    tt)ie,  however  much. 

138.  SBetttt  id)  auf  bem  2ttarfte  gel)r. 

First  appeared  in  Uber  tetft  unb  ^tterthlim,  1821;  taken  into 
Berfe,  1827. 

Nothing  further  is  known  concerning  its  origin. 

139.  $u  gittgft  twitter  ?    9Sie !  \$  fnl)  bid)  ttirfjt. 

First  appeared  in  3Ber!e,  1827. 

These  lines  were  written  at  Marienbad  in  the  summer  of  1823,  and 
were  addressed  to  Ulrike  von  Levetzow  in  answer  to  her  reproach  that 
he  had  repeatedly  met  her  without  recognizing  her  ((^oethe-Stahfbiicf), 
VIII,  1 66.)  For  further  details  concerning  Ulrike  see  notes  to  next 
selection. 


264  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  140. 


140.  <£legte. 

Lines  79-83  first  appeared  in  Uber  $unft  linb  Hltert&um,  1825;  the 
poem  as  a  whole  was  taken  into  SBerfe,  1827.  It  there  appeared  as 
the  second  part  of  £ri(ogie  ber  £eibenjd)af  t,  with  the  sub-title  (Stegte. 

Although  this  poem  appears  in  all  editions  of  Goethe's  works  as  part 
of  XrUogte  ber  Eeibenfdjaft,  it  really  originated  as  a  separate  poem. 
This  so-called  HJJartenbabei:  (Slegte  commemorates  a  new  love  affair  of 
Goethe.  In  the  summer  of  1823,  the  aged  poet  once  more  visited  the 
Bohemian  health  resort  Marienbad.  Here  he  met  again  Frau  von  Lev- 
etzow  and  her  three  daughters.  His  acquaintance  with  the  mother  was 
by  no  means  recent.  He  had  known  her  certainly  since  the  summer  of 
1806  and  perhaps  longer,  and  had  met  her  and  her  family  at  Marienbad 
in  1821  as  well  as  the  following  year.  In  the  latter  year  began  the  clos- 
er intimacy  with  the  oldest  of  Frau  von  Levetzow's  daughters,  Ulrike. 
She  was  then  a  girl  of  eighteen,  having  been  born  on  February  4,  1804. 

How  far  Goethe's  affections  were  moved  in  1822  is  uncertain,  but  in 
the  summer  of  1823,  there  flamed  up  in  him  a  youthful  passion  for  the 
charming  young  maiden.  Much  of  mystery  surrounds,  as  yet,  the  fur- 
ther development  of  this  love  drama.  It  has  been  affirmed,  although 
with  little  probability,  that  Goethe  made  proposals  of  marriage.  His 
affection  was,  however,  so  apparent  that  it  became  a  subject  of  gossip 
among  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  and  rumors  of  it  spread  over  Ger- 
many. It  is  said  that  Karl  August,  who  was  also  at  Marienbad,  called 
Ulrike's  attention,  through  her  mother,  to  the  possibility  of  a  union  with 
Goethe,  but  whether  her  reply  was  favorable  or  unfavorable  is  a  matter 
of  dispute.  It  is  probable  that  the  affair  had  taken  the  usual  course 
with  Goethe  (see  notes  to  Sel.  25),  and  that  after  the  first  warmth  of 
interest  for  Ulrike  he  saw  clearly  the  difficulties  in  his  way  and  per- 
ceived that  the  only  safety  was  in  renunciation. 

The  Levetzow  family  left  Marienbad  about  the  middle  of  August  and 
went  to  Karlsbad.  A  little  more  than  a  week  later  Goethe  joined  them 
at  the  latter  resort,  as  had  been  agreed  upon.  Twelve  days  later,  on 
September  5,  he  began  his  return  journey  to  Weimar.  On  that  day  he 
commenced  his  (Slegie.  His  diary  shows  that  he  was  engaged  in  writ- 
ing it,  or  revising  it,  on  several  of  the  days  following  and  that  the  final 
copy  was  finished  at  Weimar,  on  September  18.  Goethe  and  Ulrike 


Sel.  140.]  NOTES.  265 

never  met  again.  That  her  feelings  for  him  were  more  than  those  of 
respect  and  admiration  is  not  probable.  She  was  never  married  and  is 
still  living  (in  1899)  on  her  estate  in  Bohemia,  the  last  survivor  of  all 
those  who  were  ever  bound  to  Goethe  by  strong  personal  ties. 

The  motto  is  taken  from  the  last  speech  in  Goethe's  Tasso  (1.  3432- 
33).  The  theme  of  the  drama  is  also  parting  and  renunciation,  and 
these  lines  express  once  more  the  thought  that  the  poet  finds  assuagement 
of  grief  in  his  art. 

1.  i.  Goethe  began  to  write  the  poem  in  the  coach  on  the  morning 
of  his  departure  from  Karlsbad.  We  may  regard  the  first  stanza  as  his 
own  soliloquy  on  approaching  the  inn  at  Karlsbad,  where  Ulrike  was  stay- 
ing, and  where  he  was  to  meet  her  again  after  the  days  of  separation  since 
her  departure  from  Marienbad.  The  day  was  like  an  unopened  bud. 
Which  was  it  to  bring,  the  certainty  of  her  love,  or  the  knowledge  that 
she  was  not  for  him  ?  But  the  sight  of  her  banished  all  his  doubts  and 
opened,  as  it  were,  the  gates  of  heaven  for  him.  His  diary  has  under 
date  of  August -25,  the  following:  ©egett  4  Ufyr  in  $arl§bab  .  .  .  2M* 
bung  bet  ^rau  toon  ^etiet^ott).  liber  ifjr  tm  2.  ©todf  rjom  golbenen  ©traiifj 
eingqogen. 

1.  4.  UiaitfeffhtnijJ,  he  means,  what  wavering  and  doubt  there  is  in 
his  mind. 

1.  7.   This  stanza  and  the  following  deal  with  the  days  at  Karlsbad. 

1.  13.    nid)t,  to  be  omitted  in  English. 

1.  15.  StCjjel,  seal  (and promise  that  the  morrow  should  be  as  to- 
day, as  explained  in  the  next  line). 

1.  19.  The  verb  is  omitted.  Strehlke  suggests  the  insertion  of  er= 
fotgte  or  Voarb  gcgeben.  The  stanza  deals  with  the  poet's  departure 
from  Karlsbad,  the  final  separation  from  Ulrike. 

1.  25.  Supply  §crj  as  subject.  Through  this  play  on  the  word  tjcr= 
frf)I0ffeitf  Goethe  makes  the  transition  to  his  present  state  of  mind,  now 
that  he  has  left  Karlsbad  and  is  filled  with  the  sense  of  his  loss. 

1.  32.    (Srfjattett,  i.e.  of  the  forest. 

1.  35-  (Btofje,  meaning  the  sky,  to  which  the  adjectives  of  the  next 
line  apply. 

1.  37.  For  a  moment  he  fancies  that  he  sees  Ulrike  as  a  vision  in 
the  clouds. 

1.  47.  Lit.,  one  is  transformed  into  many.  This  is  explained  by 
tt»ed)felttbe  ©eftattcn  of  the  preceding  line. 


266  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  140. 

1.  49.  In  his  thoughts  he  is  with  her  again  and  remains  with  her 
through  the  following  stanzas  to  1.  108.  This  and  the  next  line  are  prob- 
ably to  be  taken  quite  literally,  as  if  she  had  actually  met  him  at  the 
entrance  to  the  house.  The  situation  points  clearly  to  Marienbad,  even 
though  the  poet  actually  arrived  there  before  the  Levetzow  family.  As 
he  wrote  the  poem,  he  was  doubtless,  thinking  of  the  days  passed  with 
her  without  regard  to  whether  they  were  in  the  one  health  resort  or  the 
other.  The  much  kissing  is  probably  the  poet's  invention. 

1.  53.  Hat  bcWCfllicf),  clear  (vivid}  though  changing.  He  was  think- 
ing of  her  in  all  the  differing  situations  of  their  daily  intercourse. 

1.  61.  Goethe  had  been  in  bad  health  in  the  months  preceding  his 
stay  at  Marienbad  in  1823.  His  physical  and  mental  improvement  was 
great  at  the  health  resort,  and  he  credits  all  the  change  to  the  influence 
of  Ulrike.  &*nr..  .ucrfrilumiitiCH  refers  to  the  days  before  Marienbad; 
tft  .  .  .  tjcfunbeu  to  the  change  which  the  summer  brought.  The  next 
stanza  continues  the  contrast. 

1.  65.  (cgetftet,  animated,  gave  renewed  energy  of  life  and  mind. 
The  explanation  of  how  this  was  done  follows  in  the  next  stanzas. 

1.  71.  bOtt  Bef  mutter  ©djtoefle,  referring  to  the  house  in  which  Ul- 
rike and  her  family  lived  in  Marienbad.  Goethe  had  been  their  guest  in 
this  house  the  preceding  summer.  In  1823  he  lived  in  an  inn  opposite. 
73.  See  Philippians  iv,  7. 

82.    eittrfitfeutb  fid),  solving  for  one's  self  the  riddle  of. 
87.    fo,  which,  used  as  a  relative  and  modifying  ©etbftftnn. 

90.  mcflflcfrijaucrt,  fled  in  fright. 

95.    That  is,  each  day  bought  its  own  pleasures. 
97.    What  she  means  is  somewhat  obscure.     Apparently  the  advice 
is  to  do  as  the  moment  bids,  not  to  delay  but  to  act  with  the  whole- 
heartedness  of  a  child. 

1.  103.    2)tt  tyaft  flttt  rebel!,  it  is  easy  for  you  to  talk  thus. 

1.  107.  293tttf,  hint.  Where  he  finds  the  hint  that  he  must  leave  her 
in  what  she  says,  is  not  so  very  evident.  This  and  the  following  line 
seem  to  be  brought  in  without  evident  connection  with  what  precedes, 
in  order  to  mark  the  transition  back  to  his  present  state,  as  set  forth  in 
the  next  stanza. 

1.  in.  Although  the  present  moment  offers  him  much  that  is  beauti- 
ful and  good,  his  grief  is  such  that  he  can  not  avail  himself  of  it. 


Sel.  140-142.]  NOTES.  267 

11.  119-121.  The  ills  of  the  body  might  be  healed,  but  not  those  of 
his  mind.  What  ails  the  mind  is  explained  in  (J-ntfdjlllff,  SSHflCtt  and 

SSegriff  ;  53egriff  is  further  explained  by  tote  ,  ,  *  toenntffett,   He  can 

not  yet  comprehend  that  he  must  do  without  her.  t 

1.  126.  233e<JJJCltoffettf  his  traveling  companions  were  his  servant 
Stadelmann  and  his  secretary  John.  The  one  was  interested  in  geology, 
the  other  in  meteorology.  They  can  continue  their  investigations,  but 
his  loss  had  made  him  now  incapable  of  taking  his  former  interest  in 
the  phenomena  of  nature. 

1.  133.    3(ttf  here  a  substantive. 

1.  135.  ^unborn,  the  wife  of  Epimetheus,  the  brother  of  Prome- 
theus. She  was  endowed  by  the  gods  with  great  beauty  and  with  many 
gifts,  but  her  curiosity  led  her  to  open  a  certain  jar  in  the  house  of  her 
husband,  which  he  had  been  commanded  to  keep  closed.  Thereupon  a 
multitude  of  evils  escaped  to  torment  men.  She  put  back  the  lid,  how- 
ever, in  time  to  prevent  the  escape  of  hope. 

1.  137.    gdfcefeltg,  giving  bounteously. 

141.  @rf)fo£  SeltJebere  tit  ber  2lfcettbfomte. 


First  appeared  in  9?ad)gelaffene  SBerfe,  1833. 

The  ducal  castle  Belvedere  near  Weimar  was  occupied  at  the  time  of 
writing  this  poem  by  the  wife  of  the  heir  apparent,  Maria  Paulowna,  a 
Russian  princess,  for  whom  Goethe  cherished  much  good  will.  The 
poem  is  included  among  the  many  ©ebtd)tc  \\\  33itbcm,  and  has  com- 
monly been  entitled  :  2ftit  einem  33Ubd)ert  :  @d)lo|3  SBefoebere  in  ber 
5tbenbfonne. 


142,  23Ub  be3  elterlt(f)ett  £awfe3  %\\  &ranffurt  am 

First  appeared  in  9?ad)getaffene  SBerfe,  1833. 

Rosel,  a  Berlin  artist,  had  sent  to  Goethe  a  drawing  of  the  court  of  the 
house  at  Frank  fore  and  a  dozen  etched  copies  as  a  birthday  present  in 
1825.  In  his  ktter  years  Goethe  not  infrequently  sent  pictures,  accom- 
panied by  lines  of  his  own  composition,  as  gifts  to  friends,  and  one  of 
the  etchings  of  the  house  at  Frankfort  found  its  way  to  Klinger,  together 
with  these  lines.  Maximilian  Klinger  (1752-1831)  was  also  born  at 


268  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  142,  143. 

Frankfort.  With  painful  pecuniary  struggles  he  gained  his  education 
and  began  his  career  as  a  dramatist.  He  was  the  author  of  the  play 
@turm  unb  S)rang,  the  title  of  which  gave  the  name  to  that  period  in 
(German  literature  to  which  the  play  itself  belongs.  Later  he  went  to 
Russia,  became  a  general  there,  and  was  held  in  much  honor. 

The  poem  was  seemingly  written  in  the  first  place  for  Klinger  and 
probably  sent  to  him  in  the  summer  of  1826.  It  must  not  be  taken  too 
literally,  however,  as  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  Goethe  and  Klinger 
knew  each  other  at  an  age  when  they  would  play  about  the  well  at  the 
former's  house.  The  days  of  their  first  intimacy  came  most  likely  when 
they  were  young  men  together  at  Frankfort.  On  June  II,  1826,  Goethe 
sent  the  picture  and  these  lines  to  the  duchess  of  Cumberland.  The 
writing  of  the  poem  must  therefore  have  been  somewhat  earlier. 

143.  3m  crnften  S3einJ|att3  toar'3,  too  it)  befetyaute. 

First  appeared  in  the  2Ui8gabe  letter  £anb,  1829,  at  the  close  of  the 
third  book  of  Sittjetm  2ftetfter8  SBcmberjahre.  Editions  since  then 
have  included  it  among  the  poems  with  the  title,  S3ct  SBetradjtling  don 
@(f)iHer§  @d)abet,  which  was,  however,  not  given  to  it  by  Goethe. 

Small  respect  had  been  paid  to  Schiller's  remains  when  they  were  de- 
posited at  the  time  of  his  death  in  the  vault  of  St.  Jacob's  church  at 
Weimar.  In  1826  it  was  decided  to  empty  the  vault.  The  burgomas- 
ter of  Weimar  intervened  and  endeavored  to  find  Schiller's  coffin.  That 
proved  to  be  impossible,  and  he  then  had  a  number  of  the  skulls  brought 
out;  from  these  one  was  selected,  which  was  believed  to  be  Schiller's, 
in  which  opinion  Goethe  agreed.  On  September  17,  1826,  the  skull 
was  deposited  in  the  pedestal  of  the  bust  of  Schiller  in  the  Weimar  li- 
brary. What  was  believed  to  be  the  remainder  of  Schiller's  skeleton  was 
gathered  together  in  the  same  month  and  likewise  deposited  in  the  lib- 
rary. Skull  and  skeleton  were  afterwards  inclosed  in  a  coffin  and 
placed  in  the  ducal  vault  in  the  Weimar  cemetery.  By  them  the  re- 
mains of  Goethe  also  rest. 

A  manuscript  of  the  poem  in  Goethe's  handwriting  has  on  it  the  words, 
gum  17.  @ept.  1826,  through  which  a  line  has  been  drawn  and 
below  is  written,  25.  @ept.  1826.  The  latter  of  these  dates  is 
probably  the  day  of  the  completion  of  the  poem,  while  the  former  shows 


Sel.  143,  144.]  NOTES.  269 

the  occasion  for  which  Goethe  first  planned  it,  the  day  on  which  the 
skull  was  placed  in  the  pedestal  of  Schiller's  bust.  With  effective  poe- 
tic fiction  Goethe  represents  himself  as  standing  in  the  vault  of  the 
church  in  the  midst  of  the  skeletons  of  the  unknown  dead,  when  he  be- 
held the  skull  whose  noble  proportions  called  forth  his  glowing  eulogy. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  lines  to  indicate  to  us  that  it  was  Schiller's  skull, 
nothing  to  reveal  the  occasion  which  called  forth  the  poem.  The 
measure  here  used  in  imitation  of  Dante,  the  terza-rima,  was  employed 
by  Goethe  elsewhere  only  in  $;auft,  II,  11.  4679-4727. 

1.  i.    23etttljau3,  charnel  house. 

1.  15.  2tbe$)tett,  i.e.  to  him  as  skilled  in  osteology  and  phrenology, 
and  possibly  also  as  the  intimate  friend  of  Schiller.  @d)rift  refers 
probably  to  the  form  of  the  skull  as  indicating  the  character  of  the  mind 
which  it  once  inclosed. 

1.  18.    (Sjebilb,  referring  to  the  skull. 

I.  23.    ^tc  flOttgebttrfjtc  <Spttr,  i.e.  the  form  of  the  skull  told  of  the 
intellectual  greatness  of  the  man. 

II.  24,  25.    The  sight  (of  the  noble  proportions  of  the  skull)  trans- 
ported him  to  that  sea  which,  swelling,  streams  forth  ever  higher  (geftei= 
gerte)  forms.     Blume  explains:  3)a§  9fteer  . . .  ift  bag  2e6en,  ba§  @ein, 
tteld)e§  in  feiner  fortfdjreitenben  (Sntttricftang  intmcr  hohere  Organic* 
men  herrjorbringt. 

1.  26.    $effif$,  referring  to  the  skull. 

H-  33 >  34-  Referring  to  the  mutual  action  and  reaction  of  mind  and 
matter  and  to  the  manner  in  which  either  may  influence  and  change  the 
other. 

144.  ®ebirf)te  fwb  gcmattc  &enfterfd)ei&en, 

First  appeared  in  SSerfe,  1827. 

The  time  at  which  it  was  written  is  unknown.  Poems  are  like  stained 
glass  windows  of  churches  in  that  they  must  be  seen  from  within  and 
that  we  must  seek  to  put  ourselves  in  the  same  frame  of  mind  as  the  poet 
in  order  to  appreciate  them. 

1.  4.  $I)Uifter,  Philistine,  one  without  taste  and  interest  in  art  and 
literature. 


270  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  145. 


145.   oflljntc  -Semen. 


Of  the  gobme  Xenien,  given  here  Nos.  1-6,  appeared  in  liber  $ltnft 
unb  SUtertbum,  1820;  7-9,  in  liber  $unft  imb  SHtertbum,  1821;  10, 
n,  in  liber  $unft  unb  9lltertbum,  1824;  12-22,  in  SBerfe,  l827  (in 
which  the  preceding  numbers  were  reprinted)  ;  23-30,  after  Goethe's 
death,  as  indicated  below. 

Goethe's  growing  interest  with  his  increasing  years  in  the  proverb, 
epigram,  etc.,  which  has  already  been  mentioned  in  the  notes  to  Selec- 
tions 71  and  113,  was  shown  by  the  publication  in  1820  in  liber  $ltltft 
imb  9Htertf)Um  of  a  series  of  3&f)nte  3Eenien,  which  was  followed  by  fur- 
ther series  in  the  years  1821  and  1824.  The  edition  of  1827  contained 
six  Slbteilungen  of  £at)mt  Xenien.  Editions  appearing  since  Goethe's 
death,  together  with  the  new  Weimar,  have  added  three,  making  in  all 
nine  divisions,  or  nearly  six  hundred,  of  the  Xentetl.  Of  the  most  it  is 
impossible  to  fix  the  date  of  composition.  The  great  body  must  have 
been  written  in  the  years  1815-1827,  a  few  are  of  an  earlier,  and  a  few 
of  a  later  date.  The  word  $ahm  shows  their  prevailingly  peaceful  tone, 
as  contrasted  with  the  polemic  character  of  the  original  £eniett  (see 
notes  to  Sel.  80).  Goethe  drew  here  on  sources  outside  his  own  life 
and  experience  to  a  less  degree  than  in  the  previous  collections,  ©prid)" 
tt)ort(td),  (Spigrammatifd),  etc. 

1.  i.  Only  he  is  fit  to  lead  in  the  present,  who  knows  the  history  of 
the  past. 

1.  5.  eilt  ftbtttfl  Sent,  because  wholly  alone,  all  with  like  sympathies 
and  tastes  having  died  before  him,  and  the  new  generation  having  its 
own  interests  which  he  can  not  share. 

1.  13.  One  of  Goethe's  @priid)e  in  ^3rofa  says:  3d)  bebcmre  bie 
2ttenfd)en,  tt)eld)e  Don  ber  2$ergarujHd)feit  ber  3)inge  triel  28efen§  madjen 
unb  ftd)  in  33etrad)tung  irbifdjer  9?id)tigfeit  rjerlieren  :  ftnb  trjtr  ja 
eben  beSbatb  ba,  urn  ba§  SBergangUcfye  im&ergangtidj  git  madjen  ;  bag 
fann  ja  nur  babiird)  gefd)ehen,  menn  man  beibeS  gu  fdjajjen  nwft. 

1.  29.    See  notes  to  Sel.  151. 

1.  51.  This  saying  was  sent  to  Zelter  on  August  8,  1822.  In  the 
sixth  book  of  2)id)tung  unb  SSobrbett  (p.  39)  Goethe  says  :  3o,  e§  rjer* 
brofj  mid)  gar  febr,  als  id)  bernabm  ©rotiits  babe  iibermutig  geaiiftert, 
er  leje  ben  £erenj  anberS  als  bie  ^nabeu. 


Sel.  145.]  NOTES.  271 

1.  60.  The  right  conquers  in  the  end,  the  base  may  triumph  for  a 
time  but  must  finally  succumb. 

1.  74.  We  are  what  the  experiences  of  mankind  in  the  past  and  our 
present  environment  make  of  us. 

1.  78.    t§,  referring  back  to  $inb. 

1.  80.  UinfittirjClt,  surround  with  moral  influences.  —  tfytt,  the  pro- 
noun is  here  changed  abruptly  to  the  masculine,  because  the  child  has 
now  become  a  youth. 

1.  87.    tierbucft,  abashed. 

1.  94.    al§  5(utorf)tf)0nc,  to  be  an  autochthon. 

1.  98.  The  description  of  his  father  and  mother  agrees  with  what  he 
says  in  3)id)tltng  linb  SBabrbeit.  The  allusion  to  the  grandparents  is 
more  remote  and  hardly  to  be  taken  literally.  He  here  applies  to  him- 
self what  he  has  said  in  a  more  general  way  in  the  two  preceding 
BEenten. 

1.  no.  He  returns  again  to  the  statement  that  all  that  he  has  written 
is  one  long  confessian. 

1.  118.  First  appeared  in  9?ad)getdffene  SSerfe,  1833.  The  thought 
is  allied  to  that  of  lines  90-109.  He  who  believes  that  he  is  self-made 
and  will  learn  nothing  from  others,  shows  by  his  own  work  that  he 
really  has  learned  nothing. 

1.  121.  b(lU(lctj,  lit.,  "accordingly,"  say,  it  looks  that  way  (that  is,  as 
if  you  had  learned  nothing  from  others). 

1.  122.    First  appeared  in  3Ber!e,  1836. 

In  1819  a  plan  to  erect  a  monument  to  Goethe  in  Frankfort  was  pro- 
jected and  a  public  appeal  for  subscriptions  was  made  in  the  next  year. 
Goethe's  poem  probably  belongs  to  this  period.  The  undertaking  failed 
then,  although  a  monument  was  erected  in  1844.  Heine's  sonnet,  S)dS 
projeftterte  j£)en!mal  ©OCtljeg,  written  in  1821,  rails  greatly  at  the  com- 
mercial spirit,  as  he  conceived  it,  which  led  Frankfort  to  plan  such  a 
monument  as  a  business  advertisement,  and  expressed  the  same  idea  as 
this  poem :  (gin  S)en!mot  hat  fid)  ©oetfoe  felbft  gefefct. 

1.  126.    First  appeared  in  2Ber!e,  1840. 

1.  134.  First  appeared  in  the  periodical  (£&ao§  ;  taken  into  S'Jac^* 
gefaffene  SBerte,  1833. 

1.  142.  First  appeared  in  Seipjiger  2J?ujenatmonarf),  1831;  taken 
into  Serfe,  1836. 


272  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  145. 

Inclosed  in  the  letter  of  July  17,  1827,  to  Zelter,  where  it  was  intro- 
duced by  the  words,  33or  eintgeit  Sogen  erging  idj  mid)  in  folgenben 
3etlen.  Goethe  was  not  wholly  without  interest  in  the  United.  States, 
particularly  in  his  latter  years.  Americans  visiting  in  Weimar  must  have 
helped  somewhat  to  make  him  familiar  with  the  intellectual  life  of  the 
country.  Harvard  College  possesses  a  number  of  volumes  of  Goethe's 
works,  a  gift  from  him.  The  letter  of  presentation,  dated  August  n, 
1819,  states:  S)ic  betfotgenben  bid)tertfd)en  unb  unffentfd)aftUd)en 
SBerfe  fdjenfe  id)  ber  93ibliotbef  ber  Unitterfitat  ju  (Sambribge  in  9^eu= 
(Sngfanb  al8  &ifyn  ntciner  tiefen  £eUnabme  fur  iljren  boben  ttnffen= 
fdjafttidjen  (Sharafter  iinb  fiir  ben  erfo(greid)en  (Stfer,  ben  fie  in  einer  fo 
fongen  9Mbe  Don  3abren  fiir  bie  gbrberung  griinblidjer  unb  anmutiger 
S3itbnng  benriefen  bat. 

Struve's  23eitrage  $ur  9HineraIogie  nnb  ©eologie  beS  nbrbttd^en 
5lmerifa,  1822,  had  called  forth  Goethe's  comment  (as  cited  by  von 
Loeper) :  UbrigenS  ift  jener  SBeltteit  gtiidtli^  ju  ^reifen,  ba^  er  bie 
t»nlfanifd)en  SBirfungen  entbe^rt,  tuoburd)  benn  bie  ©eotogie  ber  nenen 
2BeIt  einen  roett  fefteren  (Sbarafter  jeigt  al§  ber  atten,  \vo  niditg  mefyr 
anf  feftem  ^li^e  gn  fteben  fd^eint.  Volcanic  operations  have,  however, 
been  tremendous  in  the  United  States,  and  the  opinion  held  in  Goethe's 
times  was  due  to  the  fact  that  so  little  of  this  country  had  been  studied 
by  geologists. 

Prince  Bernhard,  the  youngest  son  of  Karl  August,  had  returned  to 
Weimar  in  the  autumn  of  1826  after  a  journey  to  America.  Goethe 
had  read  his  diary  in  manuscript  before  its  publication  and  had  been 
greatly  interested  in  it.  This  interest  may  have  been  the  direct  cause 
of  the  poem.  The  thought,  which  runs  through  it,  is  the  familiar  one 
that  the  nation  is  fortunate  which  has  no  history. 

1.  145.    $nfalt,  a  mistaken  view,  as  stated  above. 

1.  153.    Called  forth  by  the  flood  of  poor  novels  of  his  time. 

1.  154.  First  appeared  in  97od)geloffene  SBerfe,  1833. 

1.  158.  First  appeared  in  9?dtf)gelaffene  SBerfe,  1833.  Probably 
written  about  1815. 

1.  159.  In  November,  1813,  Goethe  remarked  to  Luden  (Bieder- 
mann,  ©oetl)e«  ©efprodje,  III,  103) :  3dj  babe  oft  einen  bittern 
(Sdjmeq  empfunben  bei  bem  ©ebanten  an  bag  beiitfdje  SSoIf,  bag  fo 
adjtbar  tm  (Sinjelnen  unb  fo  mtferabet  im  ©anjen  ijl.  The  events 


Sel.  145-148.]  NOTES.  273 

which  led  up  to  the  final  and  complete  overthrow  of  Napoleon,  caused 
him  to  believe  that  the  Germans  were,  after  all,  capable  of  uniting  to 
perform  a  great  deed. 

1.  163.  His  wish  was  fulfilled  in  the  establishment  of  the  German 
Empire  in  1871. 

1.  164.  First  appeared  in  ^adjgetaffene  SBerfc,  1833.  It  shows 
Goethe's  conservative  attitude  with  reference  to  government  by  con- 
stitution. 

146.  $er  turfucf  ttue  bie 


First  appeared  in  iBertincr  Sftufenatmanarf)  fur  baS  3afir  1830  ;  taken 
into  9?ad)ge(affene  SBerte,  1833,  as  one  of  the  poems  of  (£hinefifdj= 
3)eutfd)e  3al)re8-  unb  £age§jeiten. 

Goethe's  interest  in  Chinese  literature  revived  in  the  early  months  of 
1827,  and  the  result  was  the  writing  of  Sbineftfcf)=S)eutfd)e  3af)re§*  unb 
SageSjeiteil  in  the  spring  of  that  year.  Goethe  spent  several  weeks  in 
May  and  June  at.his  ©artenl)au8d)eu  on  the  Ilm,  and  while  there  com- 
posed the  series  of  poems  with  this  title.  (See  Biedermann's  essay  on 
the  subject  in  ©oethe^orfdjungeti,  neite  $olQe,  426.) 

1.  6.  This  seems  to  mean  that  he  had  previously  been  able  to  see  his 
sweetheart  in  her  garden;  now  the  foliage  hides  from  his  view  also  her 
gay  garden  house  in  Chinese  style. 

1.  12.  DftClt.  Where  his  sweetheart  is,  is  always  the  Orient,  the 
rising  sun. 

147.  $te  fttfle  ftmtbe  rooflt  iljr  ftoren  ? 

History  of  origin  and  publication  the  same  as  for  the  preceding  poem. 
As  Biedermann  remarks,  the  sentiment  is  not  Chinese  but  the  poet's 
own. 

148.  £>em  aufgefyettben  Sottmonbc. 

First  appeared  in  9?arfjgelaffene  2Ber!e,  1833. 

In  July,  1828,  Goethe  went  to  the  grand  ducal  castle  Dornburg, 
where  he  remained  till  after  the  beginning  of  September.  Karl  August 
had  died  suddenly  on  June  14,  and  Goethe's  retirement  to  Dornburg 
was  in  part  due  to  the  hope  that  absence  from  Weimar  might  lessen 
his  grief  at  the  loss  of  so  faithful  a  friend. 


274  GOETHES     GEDICHTE.  [Sel.  148-150. 

This  poem  was  called  forth  by  the  full  moon  in  the  latter  part  of 
August.  On  October  23  Goethe  sent  it  to  Marianne  von  Willemer,  who 
had  been  traveling  in  Switzerland  with  her  husband,  with  the  inquiry : 
2ftit  bem  freunMtdjften  SStttfomm  bte  fteitere  Slnfrage :  in o  bie  tieben 
Sfteifenben  am  25.  Stuguft  ftcf)  befunben?  unb  ob  @ie  DieCetd)t  ben 
flaren  SMmonb  Beadjtenb  be«  (Sntfernten  geba<f)t  fyaben?  33eifom= 
menbeS  giebt,  toon  fetner  @eite,  ba8  unroibertyredjlidjfte  3eugni§. 
According  to  Creizenach  (23riefroec()fel  jimfdjen  ©oetlje  unb  Marianne 
Don  SSittemer,  58)  Goethe  and  Marianne  had  agreed  in  the  summer  of 
1815  to  think  of  each  other  at  the  time  of  the  next  full  moon.  This 
promise  and  the  letter  make  clear  the  origin  of  the  poem.  See  also 
Goethe's  poem  35oltinonbnad)t  (written  October  24,  1815)  in  28eft= 
oftlicfjer.  2)tdan  and  particularly  the  lines: 

Giid)  tm  SBolImonb  311  begriijjen 
.grnbt  ifyr  Ijeitig  angelobct. 

149.  Sornfotrfl,  September  1828. 

First  appeared  in  9?arf)gelaffene  5Serfe,  1833. 

Goethe  left  Dornburg  on  September  n.  The  poem  was  consequent- 
ly written  before  that  date.  Letters  to  Zelter,  describing  meteorological 
conditions  like  those  mentioned  in  the  poem,  make  it  probable  that  the 
actual  date  was  September  7  or  8.  The  situation  calls  for  a  misty  morn- 
ing, with  a  cloudy  sky  later;  the  East  wind  clears  the  air;  the  remain- 
der of  the  day  is  bright,  and  at  evening  the  sun  sets  gloriously. 

1.  4.  As  the  mist  disappears,  the  gay-colored,  fully  opened  calyxes  of 
the  flowers  become  visible. 

1.  10.  Center  93ntft  refers  back  to  bu.  —  fcer  (Srofeeu,  £olben, 

means  the  sun,  and  to  it  the  poet  expresses  his  gratitude  for  the  lovely 
day. 

150.  ©dfcft  erfhtbett  ift  f(ptt. 

First  appeared  in  the  periodical  GltjaoS,  1830;  taken  into  2Ber!e, 
1836. 

The  time  of  its  origin  is  unknown  but  is  possibly  much  earlier  than 
the  date  of  publication. 


Sel.  151,  152.]  NOTES.  275 


151.  5tn  bte  fitnfeeljtt  $reuttbe  tit 

First  appeared  in  the  periodical  (£fiao§,  1831;  taken  into  2Berfe, 
1836. 

Carlyle,  together  with  Scott,  Wordsworth,  and  other  friends,  sent  to 
Goethe  as  a  birthday  present  a  seal.  Among  other  decorations  there 
appeared  on  it  the  English  translation  of  one  of  the  3&fyme  &nien  (see 
Sel.  145,  11.  29 ff.),  as  follows: 

Like  as  a  star 

That  maketh  not  haste, 

That  taketh  not  rest, 

Be  each  one  fulfilling  his  God-given  hest. 

In  his  letter  of  August  20,  1831,  Goethe  described  the  seal  to  Zelter 
and  stated  that  he  had  already  written  some  friendly  rimes  in  acknowl- 
edgment. 

1.  6.  Evidently  a  repetition  of  the  thought  of  the  above-mentioned 
lines. 

152. 

First  printed  in  1849  in  gur  (Srinneritng  an  bie  ^eter  beg  28. 
1849  auf  ber  ©rojftersoglidjen  SSibUothe!  311  SBeimar.    The  new  Wei- 
mar edition  includes  it  among  the  gdljme  BEenien. 

These  lines  were  written  by  Goethe  in  the  album  of  Siegmund  von 
Arnim,  with  the  date  March,  1832,  and  it  has  been  claimed  that  they 
are  the  last  which  he  ever  wrote.  The  first  publication,  with  the  date 
March  6,  1832,  was  based  on  another  copy.  It  is  not  probable  that 
Goethe  actually  composed  these  lines  in  March,  1832.  The  idea  con- 
tained in  them  had  been  expressed  by  him  before  ;  for  example,  in  the 
twelfth  book  of  SHcfotung  unb  SSahrheit  (p.  141) :  2BeiI  aber  im  ^rie= 
ben  ber  ^atriottSmuS  eigentlici)  nttr  bartn  beftefit,  baft  jeber  bor  fetner 
Shitre  fehre,  feineS  2(mte§  ttmrte,  and)  jeine  £e!tion  lente,  bamit  e§ 
ft)of)t  im  3paufe  ftehe.  It  is  nevertheless  interesting  to  note  that,  as  a 
rule  of  life,  these  lines  seemed  to  Goethe  in  his  last  days  to  be  fit  to 
guide  his  young  friend. 

1.  4.    ftofylt,  instead  of  ftehn. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    LIST    OF    PERSONS    MENTIONED 
IN    THE    POEMS    OR   NOTES. 


Anna  Amalia  (1739-1807),  the  mother  of  Karl  August.  During  the 
years  of  his  minority  she  acted  as  regent. 

Basedow,  Johann  Bernhard  (1723-1790),  an  eminent  schoolmaster 
and  educational  reformer.  Despite  his  many  vagaries  and  unsound 
opinions  he  exercised  an  influence  for  good  on  primary  education  in 
Germany. 

Behrisch,  seepage  175. 

Bernhard  (1792-1862),  son  of  Karl  August.  He  lived  a  roving  and 
adventurous  life,  and  was  endowed  with  decided  military  gifts.  The 
crown  of  Greece  was  offered  to  him  but  was  refused. 

Bettina,  see  Brentano. 

Bottiger,  Karl  August  (1760-1835),  classical  scholar  and  archaeologist 
of  repute.  From  1791  to  1804  rector  of  the  Weimar  gymnasium. 

Breitkopf,  see  page  176. 

Brentano,  Anna  Elizabeth  (Bettina)  (1788-1859),  the  daughter  of 
Peter  Brentano  and  his  wife  (Maximiliane  La  Roche),  married  in 
1811  to  Ludwig  Achim  von  Arnim.  She  was  an  enthusiastic  ad- 
mirer of  Goethe,  with  whom  she  stood  on  terms  of  intimate  friend- 
ship for  a  time,  until  some  insolent  remark  made  by  her  to  his  wife 
led  to  a  rupture.  She  is  chiefly  known  as  the  author  of  ©OCtf)e§ 
33rieflDed)fel  mit  etnem  $inbe,  a  highly  imaginative  work  on  a  small 
basis  of  facts. 

Brion,  Friederike  Elizabetha  (1752-1816),  the  daughter  of  the  pastor 
at  Sesenheim.  She  remained  unmarried  and  died  at  Meissenheim. 
See  page  1 78  ff . 

Brun,  Friederike  Sophie  Christiane   (1765-1835),  a  German  poetess. 

Buff,  Charlotte  Sophie  Henriette  (1753-1828),  born  at  Wetzlar,  where 
Goethe  met  her  in  1772.  Although  she  was  already  as  good  as 
engaged  to  Johann  Christian  Kestner,  to  whom  she  was  later  married, 
276 


BIOGRAPHICAL    LIST.  277 

Goethe  became  so  interested  in  her  that  he  felt  obliged  to  seek  safety 
in  withdrawal  from  Wetzlar.  She  and  her  husband  are,  in  part,  the 
basis  for  the  characters  of  Lotte  and  Albert  in  Goethe's  SBertber. 

Cagliostro,  Count  Alessandro  di  (1743-1795),  his  real  name  being 
Guiseppe  Balsamo.  The  most  noted  swindler  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, almost  the  whole  of  Europe  being  at  one  time  or  the  other  the 
field  of  his  operations.  He  died  in  prison  at  Rome.  Goethe  visited 
his  family  at  Palermo. 

Campe,  Joachim  Heinrich  (1746-1818),  schoolmaster,  philologist 
writer  for  the  young. 

Christiane,  see  Goethe. 

Cimaroso,  Domenico  (1749-1801),  Italian  composer  of  operas. 

Crespel,  Franziska  Jakobea  (born  in  1752),  married  a  Jacquet.  See 
page  178. 

Cumberland,  Friederike  Caroline  Sophie  Alexandrina,  Herzogin  von 
(1778-1841),  a  princess  of  Mecklenburg-Strelitz,  who  took  as  her 
third  husband  the  duke  of  Cumberland,  afterwards  king  of  Han- 
over. In  1790  she  lodged  in  the  house  of  Goethe's  mother  at  the 
time  of  the  coronation  of  Leopold  II.  and  played  with  her  sister 
about  the  well.  She  and  her  husband  visited  Goethe  at  the  Gerber- 
miihle  in  1815. 

Eckermann,  Johann  Peter  (1792-1854),  Goethe's  Boswell.  In  1823 
he  went  to  Weimar  and  came  into  intimate  personal  relations  with 
Goethe.  He  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  5lu§gabe  letter  §CUtb 
and  together  with  Riemer  edited  Goethe's  literary  remains.  He  is 
the  author  of  that  important  source  of  information  concerning  Goethe, 
©efprcidje  mtt  ©oetfye,  of  which  the  larger  part  appeared  in  1836,  the 
remainder  in  1848. 

Egloffstein,  Henriette,  Grafin  von  (1773-1864),  her  maiden  name 
was  the  same.  After  her  divorce  from  her  first  husband  she  was 
married  to  Oberforstmeister  von  Beaulieu-Marconnay.  In  the  years 
of  her  life  in  Weimar  she  was  of  great  social  importance  because  of 
her  beauty  and  her  charms  of  mind  and  manner. 

Einsiedel,  Friedrich  Hildebrand  von  (1750-1828),  filled  various  posi- 
tions connected  with  the  court  and  the  affairs  of  the  duchy  of  Wei- 
mar. He  was  a  minor  author,  wrote  plays  for  the  Weimar  stage, 
translated  Terence. 


278  BIOGRAPHICAL   LIST. 

Ewald,  Johann  Ludwig  (1747-1822),  a  clergyman.  He  was  Kirchen- 
rat  at  Karlsruhe  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Flachsland,  Maria  Caroline  (1750-1809),  the  wife  of  Herder. 

Frommann,  Karl  Friedrich  Ernst  (1765-1837),  book-dealer  and  pub- 
lisher in  Jena. 

Goethe,  Johanna  Christiane  Sophia  von  (1764-1816),  her  maiden 
name  was  Vulpius.  She  entered  into  the  relationship  with  Goethe  in 
July,  1788  and  was  formally  married  to  him  in  1806. 

Goethe,  Julius  August  Walther  von  (1789-1830),  the  only  child  of 
Goethe  to  reach  maturity.  Endowed  with  none  of  his  father's  great 
gifts  but  having  much  practical  ability,  he  died,  in  part,  a  victim  to 
his  own  excesses. 

Hafiz  (died  1389),  see  page  252. 

Herder,  Johann  Gottfried  von  (1774-1803),  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
of  German  thinkers,  writing  voluminously  about  religion,  philosophy, 
history,  literature,  and  art.  He  was  court  preacher  and  consistorial 
councillor  at  Wefmar.  He  had  remarkable  skill  as  a  translator  and 
was  greatly  interested  in  the  Volkslied. 

Herzlieb,  Christiane  Friederike  Wilhelmine  (1789-1865),  the  Minna 
of  the  sonnets.  See  page  242.  She  was  married  in  1821  to  Dr.  K. 
W.  Walch  and  died  in  a  sanitarium  for  nervous  diseases. 

Jacobi,  Johann  Georg  ( 1740-1814),  a  writer  of  some  prominence  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  He  and  his  brother,  Friedrich  Heinrich  (the 
philosopher,  1743-1819),  the  latter's  wife,  and  their  sister  Charlotte 
were  among  Goethe's  intimate  friends  in  his  younger  days. 

Jean  Paul,  see  Richter. 

Karl  August  (1757-1828),  duke,  and  later  grand  duke,  of  Weimar, 
the  friend  and  patron  of  Goethe. 

Karl  Friedrich  (1783-1853),  the  son  and  successor  of  the  preceding. 

Kayser,  Phillip  Christoph  (1755-1823), musician  and  musical  composer. 

Klinger,  see  page  267. 

Klopstock,  Friedrich  Gottlieb  (1724-1803),  the  German  poet. 

Knebel,  Karl  Ludwig  von  (1744-1834),  tutor  of  Prince  Konstantin, 
the  brother  of  Karl  August.  He  was  for  many  years  a  friend  of 
Goethe  and  was  himself  a  literary  man  of  some  ability. 

Korner,  Christian  Gottfried  (1756-1831),  the  intimate  friend  of  Schiller 
and  the  father  of  the  poet  Karl  Theodor  Korner  (1791-1813). 


BIOGRAPHICAL    LIST.  279 

La  Roche,  Maximiliane  Euphrosyne  von  (1756-1793),  married  to  Peter 
Anton  Brentano,  an  Italian  by  birth  but  a  merchant  at  Frankfort. 
Goethe  had  known  her  before  her  marriage.  Her  husband's  jealousy 
of  him  gave  part  of  the  basis  for  the  characters  of  Lotte  and  Albert 
in  SBerther.  She  was  the  mother  of  Bettina  Brentano. 

Lavater,  Johann  Kaspar  (1741-1801),  a  Swiss  clergyman.  His  repu= 
tation  rested  chiefly  on  his  ^htyfiognomtfdje  ^rogmente  jur  33eforbe= 
rung  ber  Sftenfdjenfenntmft  unb  3J?enfcf)enUe&e. 

Lessing,  Gotthold  Ephraim  (1729-1781),  the  great  German  critic  and 
dramatist. 

Levetzow,  Ulrike  von,  see  page  264. 

Lili,  see  Schonemann. 

Loder,  Bertha  von,  see  page  244. 

Luden,  Heinrich  (1780-1847),  professor  of  history  and  writer  on 
political  and  historical  topics. 

Mahr,  Johann  Christian  (1787-1868),  Berginspektor,  later  Bergrat. 

Marianne,  see  Willemer. 

Maria  Paulowna  (1786-1859),  by  birth  a  princess  of  Russia,  wife  of 
Karl  Friedrich  of  Weimar. 

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy,  Felix  (1809-1847),  the  great  musical  com- 
poser. As  a  child  he  visited  Weimar  and  greatly  impressed  Goethe 
by  his  playing. 

Merck,  Johann  Heinrich  (1741-1791),  held  a  post  in  the  war  depart- 
ment at  Darmstadt.  His  clear  judgment  in  literary  matters  was  of 
value  to  Goethe,  although  his  own  literary  achievements  were  not 
important.  His  life  was  very  unfortunate  and  in  despair  he  com- 
mitted suicide. 

Moors,  Friedrich  Maximilian  (1747-1782),  an  advocate  in  Frankfort. 
He  was  one  of  Goethe's  youthful  intimate  friends. 

Newton,  Isaac  (1642-1727),  the  great  English  physicist  and  mathe- 
matician. 

Nicolai,  Christoph  Friedrich  (1733-1811),  a  Berlin  publisher  and 
writer. 

Oeser,  Adam  Friedrich  (1717-1799),  a  painter  and  sculptor  of  some 
prominence.  He  was  for  many  years  director  of  the  Kunstakademie 
at  Leipzig. 


280  BIOGRAPHICAL   LIST. 

Oeser,  Friederike  Elizabeth  (1748-1829),  daughter  of  the  preceding 
and  a  friend  of  Goethe  in  the  days  at  Leipzig. 

Pfenninger,  Johann  Konrad  (1747-1792),  a  Swiss  clergyman  and 
friend  of  Lavater. 

Richter,  Jean  Paul  Friedrich  (1763-1825),  a  German  novelist  and 
humorist,  of  great  repute  for  many  years.  He  is  extravagently  praised 
by  Carlyle,  for  example. 

Riemer,  Friedrich  Wilhelm  (1774-1845),  tutor  of  Goethe's  son,  also 
Goethe's  secretary,  later  teacher  in  the  gymnasium  and  still  later 
librarian  at  Weimar.  He  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  5Iu$gabe 
letter  §anb,  was  associated  with  Eckermann  in  the  editing  of 
Goethe's  literary  remains  and  wrote  Sftittheilungeit  itber  ©oetfye. 

Salzmann,  Johann  Daniel  (1722-1812),  actuary  at  Strassburg  and  a 
table  companion  of  Goethe  in  the  latter's  student  days  there. 

Schiller,  Johann  Christoph  Friedrich  (1759-1805),  the  great  poet  and 
intimate  friend  of  Goethe. 

Schonemann,  Anna  Elizabeth  (1758-1817),  Goethe's  Lili.  See  page 
192  ff.  In  1778  she  married  Bernhard  Friedrich  von  Tiirckheim. 

Schonkopf,  Anna  Katharina  (1746-1810),  see  page  177. 

Seckendorff,  Karl  Siegmund  von  (1744-1785),  a  minor  poet  and 
musical  composer.  Beginning  with  1775  he  was  for  a  few  years 
Kammerherr  in  Weimar,  entering  later  into  the  Prussian  service. 

Seidler,  Luise  (1786-1866),  a  painter.  In  1824  she  was  made  custo- 
dian of  the  ducal  collection  of  paintings. 

Stein,  Charlotte  Albertine  Ernestine  von  (1742-1828),  her  maiden 
name  was  von  Schardt.  Her  husband  was  Oberstallmeister  at  Wei- 
mar. Her  intimacy  with  Goethe  began  in  1776,  but  his  relations 
with  Christiane  after  his  return  from  Italy  caused  it  to  end.  See 
page  igSff. 

Stock,  Johanna  Dorothea  (1760-1832),  her  father  was  an  engraver 
with  whom  Goethe  came  into  contact  while  at  Leipzig.  Her  sister 
was  the  wife  of  Korner.  She  was  a  painter. 

Stolberg-Stolberg,  Auguste  Louise,  Grafin  zu  (1753-1835),  became 
in  1783  the  wife  of  Graf  von  Bernstoff.  The  letters  of  Goethe  to  her 
in  his  Frankfort  and  early  Weimar  period  are  an  important  source 
of  information  concerning  him.  Her  brothers  accompanied  him  on 
his  journey  to  Switzerland  in  1775. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   LIST.  281 

Vulpius,  Christian  August  (1762-1827),  brother  of  Goethe's  wife.  He 
became  librarian  at  Weimar  in  1806,  was  given  the  title  Rat  in  1816, 
and  was  a  prolific  writer  of  poor  novels  and  plays. 

Vulpius,  Johanna  Christiane  Sophia,  see  Goethe. 

Werner,  Friedrich  Ludwig  Zacharias  (1758-1823),  a  minor  German 
poet.  See  page  242. 

Wieland,  Christoph  Martin  (1733-1803),  the  well-known  German 
poet.  He  was  called  to  Weimar  in  1772  as  tutor  of  Karl  August. 

Willemer,  Johann  Jacob  von  (1760-1838),  a  banker  of  Frankfort, 
with  a  taste  for  literature  and  art. 

Willemer,  Maria  Anna  Katharina  Theresia  von  (1784-1860),  became 
in  1814  the  third  wife  of  the  preceding.  Goethe's  Suleika.  See  page 
253.  Her  maiden  name  was  Jung.  For  a  brief  time  she  was  a  ballet 
dancer  and  actress  at  Frankfort,  but  while  still  a  child  she  was  rescued 
from  this  life  by  Willemer  and  reared  with  his  children. 

Zelter,  Karl  Friedrich  (1758-1832),  musician  and  musical  composer, 
residing  at  Berlin.  The  warm  friend  of  Goethe,  setting  to  music 
many  of  his  poems. 

Ziegesar,  Sylvie  von  (1785-1855),  was  married  in  1814  to  the  clergy- 
man Friedrich  August  Koethe. 


INDEX    OF    FIRST    LINES. 


PAGE 

^ld) !  unaufljaltfam  ftrebet  ba§  .  88 
9ld),  tua§  foil  ber  9Jtenfd) ...  80 
9ld),  tner  brtngt  bie  fdjonen  .  .  74 
Me  ££retf)eit§apoftel,  fie  rcaren  .  82 
Me§  in  ber  SBelt  lafjt  ftd)  .  .  130 
Slmerifa,  bu  fjaft  e§  beffer  .  .  167 

91  n  bem  reinften 84 

9lnber§  lefen  $naben  ben  .  .  163 
9ln  biefem  Srunnen  tjaft  and)  .  158 
9lngebenfen  an  ba§  @ute.  .  .166 
Vngebenlen  bu  berflungner  .  .  37 
9lnmutig  S^al !  bu  immergruner  60 

9ln  Srauertagen 145 

9ln  bollen  Sufdjelsnieigen  .  .  .  141 
9lrm  am  Seutel,  fran!  am  .  .94 
9luf  $iefeln  im  Sadje,  ba  lieg' .  3 

Sebedfe  beinen  ^immel,  %eu§  .  26 
Set  bem  ©lanse  ber  9lbenbrote.  85 

®a  broben  auf  jenem  Serge     .  106 

(@d)afer§  $(agelieb.) 
SDa  broben  auf  jenem  Serge     .  113 

(Sergfd)lofe.) 

®a§  filter  ift  ein  tyoflid)  5Jiann.  134 
®a§  ©ro^te  toill  man  nid)t  .  .  134 
S£a§  ^iidjtige,  unb  toenn  aud)  .  162 
5S5a§  llnfer  SSater,  ein  fd)5n  128 
®a§  SSaffer  raufd)t',  ba§  .  .  50 
2>em  (^5eier  gleid) 45 


2)em  <^erren  in  ber  SSiifte    .    .  96 

®em  <£^nee,  bem  Dtegen  ...  41 

£)en  (Sinjtgen,  2iba,  meldjen  bu  53 

5Der  bu  »on  bem  £immet  btft   .  38 

SDer  Jlucfucf  me  bie  9tacf)ttgaII  .  168 

S)er  5Jiorgen  fam;  e§  fdjeucf)ten  67 

5Der  <Strau§,  ben  id)  gepfliicfet  .  121 
®er  Xiirmer,  ber  fdjaut  ju  .  .122 
$5e§  3Jlaurer§  26anbe(n  .  .  .143 

®e§  5Jlenfd)en  ©eele    ....  51 

2)td)ter  Ueben  nidjt  ju  jdjroeigen  104 

[inb  red)t  gute    .  167 

serrei§en     ....  87 

S)ie  5^er(e,  bie  ber  5Jiufd)el   .    .  146 

®iefem  ?lmbo§  »erg(eid)'  id)      .  81 

5£)ie  [tide  fjreube  foottt  il)r    .    .  168 

SDie  SBelt  bureaus  ift  lieblid)    .  137 

$5ir  marum  bod)  berliert  .    .    .  161 

S)onner§tag  nad)  Setoebere  .    .  122 

Stoppelt  giebt,  n>er  gleid)  giebt  .  131 

2)u  getjft !  3d)  murre  ....  l 

®u  gingfl  Doriiber?    SSie !  id)  .  152 

®u  Ijaft  un§  oft  im  Xraum     .  3 

25u  Ijaft  nid)t  red)t !    ®a§  mag  162 

S)u  forgeft  freunblid)  mir  ben    .  75 

S5u  cerfud)ftr  o  (Sonne ....  144 

(Sbel  fei  ber  9Jlenfd)     ....  55 

6in  alter  DJlann  ift  ftet§  ein     .  161 

(Jin  Slumengtodfdien    ....  128 
283 


284 


INDEX    OF   FIRST   LINES. 


(Jinen  Gfjinefen  fal)  id)  in  SRom  94 
(Jine§  9ftenfd)en  Ceben,  roa§  .  .  82 
(Jin  jcbcr  tefjre  bor  feiner  .  170 
din  &aifer  fjatte  aroei  £affiere  .  138 
gin  $rans  ift  gar  btel  leister  .  129 
(Jin  reiner  Uteim  roirb  roof)!  .  .  163 
(Sin  Strom  entraufdjt  ....  118 
(Jin  93eild)en  auf  ber  SBiefe  .  .  19 
(Jntf)ufta§mu§  berglcid)'  id)  gern.  133 
(Jntjroei'  unb  gebiete  !  Siidjtig  .  132 
Grleudjtet  aujjcn  f)el)r  bom  .  .  158 
(Jrft  fifct  er  einc  2Beilc  ...  2 
(J§  I)at  ber  9lutor,  rocnn  er  .  .  l 
(J§  Ijatt'  ein  $nab'  cine  Saube  18 
<5§  fdjlug  metn  ^»er3,  gefdjroinb  .  4 
(J§  roar  cin  fauter  ©djafer  .  .  52 
6§  roar  ein  ^?inb,  ba§  rooQtc  .  126 
6§  roar  cin  $onig  in  Sl)ute  .  20 


bit,  laB  birf)'§  nidjt     .    .  162 

fjreiger  C^ebanlen     .....  45 

f5fern  Don  gebilbeten  5)lenfd)cn  .  84 

^lad)  bebedfet  unb  leicht  ben     .  73 

f5franfretrf)3  tranrtg  (Seirfjicf,  bic  83 

fjrcut  eurf)  be§  ©^metterling§  .  93 

fjfriif),  rocnn  2!f)al,  ©cbirg  unb  .  169 

UuHeft  rotebcr  58ufd)  unb  Xfjat.  48 

©anj  unb  gar    ......  130 

©ebirf)te  ftnb  gemattc  .    .    .    .160 

©ef),  get)ord)e  meincn  SBtnfcn    .  80 

©ern  roar'  id)  Ubcrtiefrung  lo§  .  164 

©ott  fegne  bid),  jungc  fjrau  .    .  11 

©ut  berloren  —  ctroaS  berloren  166 


85 
131 

18 


in  £anb  !  llnb  Cipp' 
•£>aft  bit  einmal  ba§  5Rcd)tc  . 
«§at  aflei  feinc  Qeit  ... 


ber  alte  <OeEenmeifter    .    .  96 

mid)  nidjt  reben,  fyetjj  mid)  72 

.^erein,  o  bit  ©uter !  bu  filter  .  145 

•frers,  metn  ^crs,  roa§  foil  ba§  .  28 

•freute  gel)'  id),    ^omm'  id;   .    .  132 

^eittc  ftet)'  id)  mcine  28adje  .    .  150 

<£>ter  ftnb  roir  berfammett  311     .  119 

$od)  auf  bent  alten  Surme .     .  21 

3d)  bin  ber  roofyfbefannte  .  .  112 
3d)  benfe  bctn,  rocnn  mir  ber  .  86 
3d),  (Jgoift !  —  2Benn  id)'§  ntd)t  131 
3d)  ging  im  SBalbe  ....  127 
3d)  f)abe  getiebet,  nun  Iteb'  id)  .  124 
3d)  f)ab'  if)n  gcfcfjen  ....  75 
3d)  l)ab'  mein  <Sad)  auf  nid)t§  .  115 
3d)  I)ie(t  mid)  ftet§  bon  .  .  .166 
3d)  fann  mid)  nid)t  berebcn  .  .  167 
3d)  roanbfe  auf  roeiter,  bunter  .  129 
3d)  roar  cin  $nabe  roarm  unb  .  50 
3d)  roetfj  ntd)t,  roa§  mir  ^icr  .  41 
3f)r  Ia§t  nid)t  nad),  itjr  bfeibt  .  133 
3m  ernftcn  33eint)au§  roar'§.  .  159 
3m  f$fetbe  fd)(eid)'  id)  fti((  unb  .  37 
3m  Ijotbcn  Xfjaf,  auf ....  38 
3m  9lcbe(gericfel,  im  ttefen  .  .  10 
3m  neuen  3af)re  ©Ittdf  unb  .  .  129 
3n  alien  guten  Stunben  ...  31 
3n§  ©idjere  roillft  bu  bid)  betten  161 
3ft  bod)  teine  9Jlenagerie ...  32 
3ft'§  moglid),  ba^  id),  Ctebdjen  .  137 

3ebcr  3ungting,  feljnt  fid),  fo  .  29 
3enc  garftigc  93ettel  .  .  .  .142 

$ennft  bu  ba§  Canb,  roo  bie  .  71 
^(cinc  SBlumen,  fleine  blotter  .  5 
$lein  ift  uutcr  ben  f5riirftcn  .  .  82 


INDEX    OF   FIRST    LINES. 


285 


PAGE 

£nabe  fafj  id),  f^ifdjerfnabe  .  .  151 

$omm,  Ciebdjen,  fomm  !  .    .  .  137 

$omm  nut,  o  Sd)5ne,  !omtn  .    78 

$5nige  rooflen  ba§  @ute,  bie  .    83 

Cange  fjaben  bic  ©rojjen  bcr  .  83 

Sange  Sag'  unb  9Jad)te  ftanb  .  42 

Cajj  metn  9lug'  ben  'Jlbfdjteb  .  4 

£afc  fteib  unb  Oftijjgunft  fid)  .  130 

Cafj  regnen,  roenn  e§  rcgnen  .  23 

Dftadje  sum  <£>errfd)er  fid)  bet     .  81 

DOtein  afte§  (Sbangelium  ...  25 

9!fttd)  ergretft,  id)  rceifj  nid)t  rote  107 

9ftir  gab'  e§  fcinc  grojjre  $etn  .  130 

9ttit  ber  28elt  mufj  ntemanb      .  163 

Wii  2BibcrIegcn^33ebingen    .    .  164 

Oftufjt  nid)t  bor  bem  Sage    .    .  136 


5)littage  fafjen  tt)ir  .  .  .  8 
marft  bu  bem  (£befn  uub  93 
9iatur  unb  ilunji,  fie  fdjeinen  .  109 
Sletuton  I)at  fid)  geirrt  ?  3a  .  .  93 
9hd)t  (yelegen^eit  mad)t  ®iebe  .  140 
9Hd)t  gro^ern  Sorteil  toiifct'  id)  .  132 
9lid)t§  bom  2krgtingUd)en  .  .  161 
9iorb  unb  SSeft  unb  ©lib  .  .  134 
9tur  iner  bie  ©el)nfud)t  fennt  .  72 

•D  tieblidje  Sljerefe  .....  9 
Cft  in  ttefen  2Btnternad)ten  .  .  102 

Sag'  nur,  toie  tra'gft  bu  fo  .  .  161 
(Sat)  ein  $nab'  ein  9?5§Iein  .  .  9 
Safj  id)  friit)  auf  eincr  ...  76 
Sd)abe,  ba§  bie  9Jatitr  nur  .  .  93 
Sdjaff,  ba§  Sagttterf  meiner  .  44 
Set)'  id)  bie  SBerfe  ber  lifter  .  132 


Selbft  erfinben  ift  fd)5n;  bod)    .  170 

Sinnretd)  bift  bu,  bie  Spradje  .  93 

So  fyab'  id)  roirfUd)  bid)  ...  79 
So  I)od)  bie  5JJafe  reid)t,  ba  .    .163 

So  foa'fj'  id)  ofyne  llnterlafe  .    .  75 
So  ttrnr  e§  fdjott  in  metnen  .    .117 

St)at  er!(tngt,  tna§  friif)  erftang  128 

Spube  bid),  $rono§      ....  23 

Sage  ber  SGonne    .....  104 

Saufenb  f^liegen  fyatt'  id)  am  .  130 

Seilen  fann  id)  nidjt  ba§  Ceben  165 

S^u'  nur  ba§  9?ed)te  in  beinen  130 

Siefe  Stifle  I)errfd)t  im  Staffer  .  87 

Sotte  S^iten  hab'  id)  ertebt  unb  83 


liber  alien  ©ipfeln  .....  53 
Um  5Diitternad)t  ging  id),  utdjt  .  148 
Unb  bod)  t)aben  fie  red)t,  bie  id)  139 
llnb  frtfd)e  9tafyrung,  neue§  .  .  30 


2SteIe§  fjab'  id)  berfud)t     ...    81 
S5om  5Bater  ^ab'  id)  bie  Statur  165 


2Bar  bod)  geftern  bein  $aupt  .  102 
2Bar'  id)  ein  f)a'u§lid)e§  9Seib  .  83 
2Bar'  nidjt  ba§  "Muge  fonnenf)aft  162 
SBarum  gabft  bu  un§  bie  ttefen  39 
9Sarum  id)  toieber  jum  papier  .  118 
SBarum  magft  bu  getniffe  .  .  .  132 
9Ba§  bie  ©rofjen  ©ute§  tfjaten  .  168 
2Ba§  ^6r'  id)  brau^en  bor  bem.  57 
5ffia§  ift  ba§  Sdjmerfte  bon  .  .  93 
2Ba§  ift  fdjmer  ju  berbergen  ?  .  138 
9Ba§  mtt  mir  ba§  Sd)idfat  .  .  84 
2Ba§  foil  id)  nun  bom  ....  153 
2Ba§  berfurjt  mir  bie  8tnt  .  .  134 
2BeiI  fo  biet  su  fagen  roar  .  .  149 


286 


INDEX    OF   FIRST    LINES. 


2Befd)  ein  9JMbd)en  id)  ttmnfdje  .  81 
2Benn  bu  bid)  jelber  mad)ft  sum  132 
2Benn  id)  auf  bem  2Jlarlte  gel)'  152 
SBenn  id),  liebe  fiili,  bid)  nid)t  .  30 
SSenn  $inbe§blicf  begierig  jdjaut.  164 
2Ber  befdjeiben  tft,  mufj  bulben  .  133 
2Bcr  bem  ^ublifum  bient,  ift  .  131 
2Ber  in  ber  2BeItgefd)id)te  lebt  .  160 
2Ber  nie  fetn  93rot  mit  Sfyrfinen  60 
SScr  rettet  fo  jpat  burd)  9lad)t  .  54 
2Ber  fid)  bcr  ginfamfeit  ergiebt .  59 
2Ber  t»ernimmt  mid)  ?  ad),  tocm  .  44 
2Bcr  toirb  t>on  ber  2Be(t  .  .  .139 

2Bie  ba§  ©eftirn 162 

2Bie  bie  2Miiten  tieute  bringen  .  119 
28ie  ftudjtbar  ift  ber  f leinfte .  .164 
2Bie  l)err(id)  Ieud)tet  ....  6 
2Bie  ^irfdjen  unb  Seeren  .  .  131 
2Cie  man  (Selb  unb  ^ett  .  .  81 
SSie  ?  2Bann  ?  unb  2Bo  ?  —  ®ie  129 


2Bitt  einer  fid)  gett)ol)nen  .    .    .163 

SBiUfl  bu    bid)  am  (^anaen  .    .  129 

SQSiUft  bu  bir  aber  ba§  Sefte     .  130 

SBiajt  bit  bir  ein  tyiibfd)  Ceben  .  133 

SBtUft  bu  immer  toeiter  fdjaietfen  80 
SBillft  bu  in§  Unenbtidje  .    .    .129 

28iflft  bu  mid)  fog(etd)  berlaffen  169 

28tr  reiten  in  bie  $rei»3  unb    .  128 

SStr  fingen  unb  fagen  t>om  .    .  110 

2Bo  ?lnma^ung  mir  ttJotytgefattt  131 

3Bo  man  mir  Q5ut§  erjeigt    .    .  141 

SBorte,  bie  ber  ®id)ter  fprid)t    .  170 

2Bo  toiOft  bu,  !lare§  Sadjtein    .  100 

2Bunbern  fann  e§  mid)  nid)t     .  83 

3art  ®ebid)t,  mie  OJegenbogen  .  131 
2>en!mat  tt>a§  .  .  166 
Cafcater  unb  Safebow.  22 
3roifd)en  SBeijen  unb  ^orn  .  .  121 


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